BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Freshman D'Angelo Blackmond had a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds, but it was not enough as Brooklyn College used a second half rally to secure an 84-76 win over the Centenary University men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon.
"Today we suffered a tough loss to a feisty team that hit shots and executed well down the stretch," said interim head coach Jason Geleski. "We will go back to the drawing board and get to work on our goal of becoming Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Champions."
Brooklyn opened a quick 9-2 lead on a Jordan Wright jumper at 15:16.
An 8-0 run by the visitors gave Centenary a 10-9 advantage with 13:12 to go in the half.
The Bulldogs responded by scoring 11 of the next 13 points and took a 20-12 lead with 8:51 left in the period. Wright struck for seven during that stretch.
The Cyclones closed the first half on a 24-12 run and claimed a 36-32 lead at the break. Sophomore Harrison Lucibello scored six during that stretch.
Five points to start the second half from junior Chris LaBelle pushed the Centenary advantage to 40-35 with 16:42 to play.
The two teams traded points as a traditional three-point play from graduate student Tom Weiler gave the Cyclones a 45-39 edge with 15 minutes showing on the clock.
A lay-up from sophomore Tyler White put the visitors ahead 51-45 with 12:23 to go in the game.
Brooklyn responded with a 15-2 run and turned the deficit into a 60-53 lead with 7:49 left in the half. Kayin Olajide scored eight points during that spurt for the Bulldogs.
A pair of free throws from freshman Owen Roberts III cut the Brooklyn lead to three, 67-64 with 5:16 to go.
The two teams traded points over the final five minutes as Brooklyn secured the 84-76 win. The Bulldogs' victory snapped a five-game win streak for the Cyclones.
Brooklyn shot 39.4 percent from the field and knocked down 11 three-pointers in the contest. Centenary shot 43.7 percent from the field but hit just three shots from behind the arc. The Cyclones won the rebounding battle, 47-39.
LaBelle led the Cyclones with a team-high 22 points and six assists while Blackmond added two blocks and two steals to go with his 15 points and 15 rebounds. Roberts III came off the bench to contribute 13 points and nine rebounds while Weiler had 10 points.
Wright led Brooklyn with 27 points.
Centenary is back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 7 when the Cyclones travel to Clarks Summit for an 8 p.m. game.
