No. 20 Albertus Downs Elms in 113-97 Victory

Photo by Ron Waite
Photo by Ron Waite

The No. 20 Albertus Magnus men's basketball team remained unbeaten on the year against Division III opponents with a 113-97 victory over Elms College in non-conference play on Wednesday night in New Haven. Albertus improved to 14-1 on the year with tonight's victory, while Elms fell to 7-10 overall.

The Falcons shot 50% from the field in the contest, hitting 39 of their 78 total shots as Elms shot 42.9%.  Both teams shot 50% or above in the second half as the Falcons outscored the Blazers 57-54 in the second frame as it was an offensive duel.

Albertus opened the game with a 9-4 lead before Elms battled back to keep the game close.  The Blazers tied the score at 19 on a three-pointer by Kenny Lockett before they took a two-point lead on a Lockett free throw.  After tying the score for the sixth time of the contest at 25 apiece, the Falcons pushed out to a seven-point advantage with 6:01 left in the half.

For a span of 2:39, the Falcons held Elms without a field goal and pushed out to its largest lead of the half of 17 points with 2:21 left on the clock.  At the break, Albertus led 56-43. The Falcons had 21 points off the bench compared to Elms' zero.

The Falcons shot 55.6% from the floor in the second half, hitting 20-of-36 shot attempts.  They held a 20-point lead in the frame with 9:04 left in regulation which proved to be their largest lead of the game.

Victor Ljuljdjuraj (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) led all scorers with 26 points and 15 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.  Junior Eian Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 22 points, nine assists, and six rebounds, while junior Kyle Wiggins (Milford, Conn.) tallied 21 points off the bench as he hit 5-of-9 from behind the arc.

James Jennings (Bridgeport, Conn.) added 18 points in 32 minutes, while Marcus Walker (Newark, N.J.) added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Elms College was led by 23 points from Andre French and 19 points from both Derek Murphy and Lockett. Murphy added nine rebounds, while Lockett registered 10.  Also in double figures was Isaiah Odunlami with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Conny Ihearahu added 11 points.

The Falcons are 1-1 all-time with the Blazers after tonight's win with their only other meeting with Elms being on Jan. 5, 2005 at home.

Albertus heads back on the road after its four-game home stand and will play Lasell College on Saturday in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.  The Lasers are 8-5 on the year and 5-2 in the GNAC.  They take on Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Thursday night prior to facing the Falcons.

The Falcons are 9-4 all-time against the Lasers dating back to the 2007-08 season.  The Falcons have won nine-straight against the Lasers and are 4-2 when playing Lasell on the road.