Busy Weekend for Basketball Teams

Keuka College's men's and women's basketball teams return to action with a pair of road NEAC clashes on Saturday and Sunday. Keuka and SUNYIT square off on Saturday, followed by games with SUNY Cobleskill on Sunday.

Keuka College’s men’s and women’s basketball teams hit the road for a pair of pivotal North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) showdowns, with both Storm squads looking to improve their positioning in the NEAC North standings.

Keuka’s basketball teams travel to SUNYIT on Saturday and SUNY Cobleskill on Sunday. Keuka’s men (4-11, 4-4 NEAC) are hoping to rebound from Wednesday night’s disappointing 69-64 home loss to Cazenovia College.

Junior Teddy Tuggles (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) posted his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the dynamic guard added five assists, but the Storm, which at one point led by 19 points, saw Cazenovia go on a 20-8 run and fell for the third time in its last six conference games.

Freshman Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) added 11 points and eight rebounds while classmate Joe Tortolon (Dundee, NY/Dundee) had nine points for Keuka. Freshman Trevor Healey (Wethersfield, CT/Wethersfield) added 6 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals for the Storm.

Tortolon made a layup to knot the score at 61-all with two minutes remaining, and Hixson added a baseline jumper with 16 seconds left that pulled Keuka within 65-64, but Cazenovia hit its final four free throws to clinch the win.

Keuka is tied with defending champion Wells for second place in the NEAC while the Wildcats (2-14, 1-5 NEAC) are fifth in the six-team division. Keuka and SUNYIT split last year, with the Storm prevailing 70-61 at home and falling 81-80 in overtime on the road.

SUNYIT snapped a nine-game losing streak when it defeated Lancaster Bible College 65-54 on Jan. 20.

The top two teams in each division, plus the third-place squad with the best record, qualify for the NEAC postseason tournament, which runs Feb. 21-26.

On the women’s side, Keuka (9-4, 7-2 NEAC) trails first-place SUNYIT (13-2, 7-0 NEAC) by one full game in the North division standings, with the top three schools in each division qualifying for the NEAC postseason tournament.

Sophomore Danielle Gravel (Sidney, NY/Sidney) scored 17 of her career-high 29 points in the first half and Keuka’s women’s basketball team defeated rival Cazenovia College 75-53 Wednesday night inside the Weed Physical Arts Center.

Junior Mariah Mouzon (Elmira, NY/Elmira Free Academy), fresh off back-to-back double-doubles, added 12 points and six rebounds while Gravel added 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and only one turnover for Keuka, which led wire-to-wire.

Mouzon and Gravel combined for the game’s first seven points as the Storm sprinted out to a 7-0 lead just 90 seconds in. A 10-3 spurt midway through the half pushed the Storm lead to 28-11, capped by a jumper from freshman Erica Pendrak (Utica, NY/New York Mills) with 7:09 left in the half.

Gravel, whose previous career-high was 25 points during a win over Hilbert College on Nov. 22, finished shooting 10-for-14 from the floor (71 percent) and went 6-for-8 on three-pointers.

Since dropping a 62-45 decision to Mary Washington on Dec. 29, 2011, the Wildcats have won nine straight games, outscoring the competition by an average of 67.3 to 49.1 points per game.

Keuka swept the Wildcats during the 2010-11 season, claiming a 62-54 win at home and a 61-51 victory on the road. The Storm has won five of the last six meetings in the rivalry.

Keuka’s basketball teams will take on SUNY Cobleskill on Sunday, with the men playing at noon followed by the women at 2 p.m. Check back to www.KeukaStorm.com for the latest news on Storm athletics, or follow the coverage on Facebook at Facebook.com/KeukaStorm.