The Hamilton College Continentals defeated local opponent SUNY Polytechnic 71-58 in a non-conference matchup at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Tuesday night.
The Continentals (10-8 overall) improved to 7-1 at home this season. Hamilton has won nine in a row against the Wildcats and lead the all-time series, 35-2.
SUNY Poly, a member of the North Atlantic Conference, dropped to 12-7 overall. The Wildcats scored more than half their points in the paint (32). SUNY Poly was 13 of 26 from the field in the second half and were still within five points of the Continentals with 2:17 to go.
Osarenren's 15-point performance was his sixth double-digit game of the season. He added three blocks, four steals and eight boards to the stat sheet.
Graham Robinson '25 tallied a season-high 15 points and drained three 3-pointers, contributing more than half of the Continentals' 27 bench points. Connor Rood '23 collected 12 points and three assists, and
Liam Regan '23 scored 10 points. Hamilton held a 44-39 advantage on the glass and went 16-for-23 at the free-throw line.
Josh Gregory recorded a double-double for the Wildcats with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jesse O'Dell contributed 13 points and Mitch Kernizan scored eight. LJ Randle and Sion Nelson produced seven points apiece, and Alan Rodriguez was credited with eight rebounds. SUNY Poly went 13-for-19 at the line and shot just 35 percent from the floor.
The Continentals led 30-21 at the break, but Randle started the second half with a 3-pointer for the Wildcats. SUNY Poly held a pair of two-point leads, the last of which was 41-39 with 11:38 left. Tied at 41 apiece after a jumper in the paint by
Patrick Mogan '23, Robinson hit a three-ball on a pass from Rood, and that sparked a 9-0 Hamilton run for a 48-41 advantage with 7:35 remaining.
The Wildcats kept within single digits until a three-point play and a pair of back-to-back slam dunks by Osareren lifted the Continentals to a 12-point advantage at 66-54 with 1:25 to go. Hamilton took it home by going 5-for-6 at the line in the final 61 seconds.
SUNY Poly held a two-point lead for the first few minutes of the first half until Mogan stole the ball and Regan converted a fast-break layup. Tied up at 9-9 midway through the half, Hamilton exploded with a 16-1 spurt for a 15-point cushion with 5:55 remaining. The Wildcats finished the half with an 11-5 burst and cut the Continentals' lead to nine at the break.
Hamilton travels to Hoboken, N.J., for a non-conference matchup with Stevens Institute of Technology on Friday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m.
