MARCY, N.Y. – Hamilton College's Hank Morgan '25 stole the ball near half-court and made a fast-break layup with 3.0 seconds left that lifted the Continentals to a 68-66 non-conference win against the SUNY Polytechnic Wildcats at SUNY Poly's Wildcat Field House on Thursday night, Nov. 21.
 

Season Update

• Hamilton (3-1 overall) won for the second time in three days.
• The Wildcats (1-2), who are members of the Empire 8 Athletic Conference, were playing their 2024-25 home opener.

 

How It Happened

• Morgan's game-winner was the first field goal by either team in seven minutes.
• The score was tied at 44-44 early in the second half after a layup by SUNY Poly's Anthony Rose.
• The Continentals went on a 10-2 run and took their largest lead in the second half of eight points at 54-46 with 13:29 remaining. Owen Kane '25 started the spurt with a 3-pointer from the right corner. Teja Singh '25 followed with a mid-range floater from the left side, a trifecta from the left corner, and a drive down the middle of the lane that finished with a left-handed layup.
• Hamilton still led by seven at 57-50 after a driving layup down the left side of the lane by Connor Jenkins '27 with 11:40 to go.
• The Wildcats responded with a 12-2 run that ended with a Rose dunk with 8:29 left.
• Trailing 64-61, Sharif Nelson '26 pulled the Continentals within one on a driving layup down the right side with 7:05 remaining. Garret Keyhani '26 put Hamilton back up by a point at 65-64 on two free throws with 6:42 to go. After two free throws by Lamarqus Merchant Jr. gave SUNY Poly a one-point edge, Singh made the front end of a one-and-one and tied the score at 66-66 with 3:41 left.
• Neither team scored again until Morgan's heroics. The teams combined to go 0-of-8 from the field with four turnovers down the stretch. A 3-point attempt by the Wildcats from way beyond the arc was off-target as the final buzzer sounded.
• The Continentals went on a 14-2 run early in the first half and turned a three-point deficit into a 19-10 lead with 10:36 remaining. Kane started the run with a layup from the right block. Keyhani nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, Graham Robinson '25 made one from the right corner, and Jalen Reese '27 banked in a layup from the right block. Morgan closed out the spurt with a pair of free throws and a turnaround jumper in the lane.
• Hamilton stayed in front until late in the second half when an old-fashioned three-point play by Merchant Jr. gave SUNY Poly a 31-29 edge.
• Singh tied the score on a turnaround jumper in the lane with 2:41 to go, and Morgan's 3-pointer from the left wing put the Continentals back up by three at 34-31 with 2:15 left.
• Layups by the Wildcats on consecutive possessions gave them a one-point advantage, but Morgan scored three points the hard way with 19.9 seconds remaining, and Hamilton went into the locker room with a 37-35 lead.

 

Notes

• Hamilton has won 37 of the 40 all-time meetings with SUNY Poly.
• There were 14 lead changes and eight ties as neither team led by double digits.
• Morgan finished with 19 points and leads the Continentals with 19.8 per game. He has made all 15 of his free throw attempts.
• Singh led Hamilton with a game-high 20 points and handed out three assists.
• Kane chipped in nine points.
• Keyhani grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
• Merchant Jr. topped SUNY Poly with 17 points and four assists.
• Jarrett Wilbur contributed 13 points and seven boards off the bench.
• The Continentals were 11-of-20 from the floor in the second half.
• Hamilton went 12-for-14 at the line and is shooting 82.5 percent at the charity stripe this season.
• The Wildcats shot just 36.7 percent (11-30) from the field, including 0-of-8 from long range, in the last 20 minutes.
• SUNY Poly shot 89.5 percent (17-19) at the line.

 

Next Game

The Continentals travel to Tacoma, Wash., for a non-conference contest against Pacific Lutheran University (1-2) on Monday, Nov. 25 at 11 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Pacific.