SMC MEN, MIDDLEBURY IMPROVE TO 2-0 AT
DOUBLETREE DOC JACOBS CLASSIC
Purple Knights earn 65-62 win versus
Bloomsburg; Panthers best in-state rival Norwich, 59-41
Box score: http://www.smcathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2008-09/stats/mbblostm.htm
COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College and Middlebury College
each improved to 2-0 on the season at the DoubleTree Doc Jacobs
Classic in men's basketball action on Sunday at the Ross Sports
Center. In the first men's game, Middlebury College bested in-state
rival Norwich University, 59-41, and in the nightcap, Saint
Michael's earned a 65-62 victory versus Bloomsburg University.
In the nightcap, senior Jon Zylstra (Uxbridge,
Mass./Whitinsville Christian School), the tournament Most
Valuable Player, had 11 second-half points to help Saint Michael's
hold off the Huskies. The win was the 159th for 12th-year Saint
Michael's head coach Tom O'Shea, tying the program
record held by George "Doc" Jacobs.
Zylstra finished with 13 points and four blocks for the Purple
Knights, while classmate Mike Iola (West Newbury,
Mass./Pentucket Regional) had a team-best 14 points on
6-of-11 shooting from the field. Freshman Tyler Schilling
(Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka) added 12 points and six
rebounds as Saint Michael's shot 60 percent from the field in the
second half.
For the Huskies (0-2), junior Ruben Britt (Voorhees,
N.J.) had a game-high 17 points, making 7-of-10 shots from
the floor. Freshman Trevon Johnson (Snow Hill,
Md.) added 14 points in the setback. Bloomsburg
outrebounded Saint Michael's 37-30, but committed 19 turnovers and
shot just 6-of-13 from the foul line.
In the opener, Middlebury had 10 players crack the scoring
column to remain perfect on the season. Senior Ben Rudin
(Scarsdale, N.Y.) had a game-high 12 points and added nine
rebounds and five assists in the win, while senior Aaron
Smith (West Hartford, Conn.) added nine points and 11
rebounds. Sophomore Andrew Locke (Seattle, Wash.)
contributed six points, eight rebounds and seven blocks as the
Panthers forced 24 Norwich turnovers.
For Norwich (0-2), freshman Antonio Davis (Albany,
N.Y.) had a team-best eight points, 13 rebounds and three
blocks. The Cadets shot just 24 percent from the field in the first
half to trail 32-19 at the break, and never got closer than 11
points in the second half.
Saint Michael's returns to action on Wednesday, as the Purple
Knights open Northeast-10 Conference play with a 7:30 p.m. home
game versus Southern Connecticut State University.
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