Highlanders Win Big to Open Season
Box
Score
Houghton, N.Y.—The Houghton College men’s basketball team built a
26-point lead in the first half of its season opener then cruised to a 92-72
victory over the College of St. Joseph Friday night at the Nielsen Center.
“Overall, I’m pleased” said Brad Zarges, head coach of the Highlanders. “We
shot the ball real well, and that always eases the pressure.”
The Highlanders had a balanced attack, with four players scoring in the
teens. Sophomore forward Yannick Anzuluni (Ottawa, Ontario/Garneau High
School) hit nine of 14 shots and added a free throw to lead the team with 19
points.
Sophomore center Mada Abdelhamid (Auckland, New Zealand/Avondale College)
and senior guard Jon VanSkiver (Campbell, NY/Campbell-Savona) each had 17.
Senior forward Rimgaudas Valaitis (Silute, Lithuania/Jamestown Community
College)—who lead the NAIA Division II in three-point shooting last season
at 55.6 percent—hit four of nine from beyond the arc and added a two-pointer
for a total of 14.
Zarges also cited the play of freshman guard Jon Mannarino (Solon,
Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) who had nine assists and just three turnovers.
After taking that big halftime advantage, the Highlanders let up in the
early stages of the second half and St. Joseph closed the lead to 67-55 with
11:19 left. Houghton broke the Saints’ full-court pressure on several trips
down the floor, though, and rebuilt the lead quickly with a 12-2 run in the
next three minutes.
“Other than that eight-minute stretch in the second half, I thought we
played real well,” said Zarges. “We need to work on consistency and do that
for 40 minutes. Tonight we did it for 32.”
The Highlanders led 92-61 with 1:58 remaining when both teams went to their
reserves and a flurry of three-pointers from the Saints cut the final margin
by a third.
Houghton (1-0) travels to Rio Grande University in Ohio to play in a
tournament next Friday and Saturday. The Highlanders will take on Ohio
University-Lancaster on Friday at 4:00 p.m.
Houghton College
has deep
and
solid
roots in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, where our
teams use their commitment to excellence, both on the field-of-play
and
in the classroom, as a platform for their strong and
unique emphasis on Sports Ministry. Their goal is to make a difference
for the Kingdom
on campus, in Allegany County,
in the Northeast and
around
the world.
Houghton is one of only 13 institutions who have been hand-selected
by the NAIA to serve as "Champions of Character" Program Centers, opening the door
for Houghton to be a leader,
both in the Northeast and
nationally, in character education.
Through hands-on,
innovative community outreach initiatives, Houghton coaches and
student-athletes
are working together to change the culture of sport and
to change our culture through sport.
