Keuka College senior Lamar Lovelace (Rochester, N.Y./Northeast College Prep) etched his name into the program record books Friday night, scoring a school-record 41 points to lead the Wolves to a 105–100 victory over Russell Sage College at the JMW Recreation and Athletics Center.
Lovelace sealed the win at the free-throw line in the final seconds, knocking down a pair of shots to tie and then surpass the previous single-game scoring record of 40 points, set by Kyle Bower against Elmira College on Dec. 14, 1990. Lovelace finished the night with 41 points and nine rebounds, tying for the team lead on the glass.
Keuka College (4-7, 1-1 Empire 8) had four starters score in double figures. Akinlana Popoola (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) added 16 points, Kaleb Nutifafa (Elmsford, N.Y./Alexander Hamilton) contributed 15 points and nine rebounds, and Malik Junious-Fuller (Queens, N.Y./The Patrick School, N.J.) chipped in 13 points while leading the Wolves with four steals.
The game opened with both teams trading baskets, tied 12–12 early. Lovelace sparked a decisive Keuka run with a three-pointer, followed by another from Chase Welch (Buffalo, N.Y./The Park School). Popoola added a three during the stretch, and Marcus Reed (Queens, N.Y./Our Saviour Lutheran) capped the 13-point run with a layup, forcing a Russell Sage timeout with Keuka ahead 25–12. The Wolves maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 56–42 advantage into the break after a late basket by Junious-Fuller.
Russell Sage came out strong in the second half, scoring the first seven points in just over a minute to cut the deficit to seven. Keuka responded by settling into its offense and trading baskets, eventually building the lead back to as many as 18 points. The Gators continued to chip away, however, narrowing the margin to 93–81 with four minutes remaining.
An 8–0 run by Russell Sage trimmed the lead to two points with 2:29 left. Popoola answered with two free throws, and Lovelace followed with a layup, but the Gators again responded with a three-pointer and a steal-and-score to make it 99–98 with 1:17 to play. Keuka answered down the stretch as Popoola hit a jumper, Nutifafa converted two free throws after a defensive rebound, and Lovelace knocked down the record-setting free throws to secure the 105–100 victory.
KC Notes:
- Keuka College improved to 6-3 all-time against Russell Sage and 5-1 on David M. Sweet Court
- The win marked the 400th victory in program history
- Lovelace scored 41 points on 12 two-pointers, three three-pointers, and a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the free-throw line
- Keuka’s 56 first-half points tied for the seventh-most in a half in program history
- The 105 points scored were the fifth-most in a home game in program history
- Junious-Fuller set a new career high with 13 points
