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Keuka Men’s Basketball Loses to Elmira at the Buzzer

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The Keuka College Men’s Basketball team lost on a layup at the buzzer to host Elmira College 73-71 in an Empire 8 game on Tuesday.

Keuka College (6-13, 3-8 Empire 8) got 25 points from Akinlana Popoola (Cleveland, Ohio / Padua Franciscan). Marcus Reed (Queens, N.Y. / Our Saviour Lutheran) added 13 points and Makya Morrison (Oneonta, N.Y. / Oneonta) finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Amar Jackson (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Frederick Douglas Academy) led the Wolves with 11 rebounds.

It was a slow start for both teams, but Keuka led 13-12 midway through the first half. The Wolves got their largest lead of the half, six points, following a three by Marcus Reed with 6:46 left in the first to make it 20-14. The Soaring Eagles cut into the lead and used six unanswered to tie the game and take a lead. The Wolves answered back. Marcus Reed made a pair of layups in the final minute to give the lead back to Keuka 31-30 at the half.

Keuka College used a 10-0 run early in the second half to push their lead out to 12 points, 48-36. After Elmira ended the run with a layup, Keuka responded right back with 11 unanswered, the final nine coming from a three by Amar Jackson followed by a pair of triples from Akinlana Popoola. The Wolves held a 21-point lead with 11 minutes left to play. However, Elmira went on a run of their own, outscoring Keuka 12-0 over the next three minutes to stay in the game. Keuka College steadied the storm and remained ahead by 15 with five minutes left to play. The Soaring Eagles continued to cut into the lead. The game changed with 1:20 left to play. Keuka led 71-63. Elmira made a three and while the ball was in the air, the Wolves were called for a foul off the ball. In the discussion of the foul, Keuka was assessed a technical foul. As a result, Elmira got the three-pointer and went 3-4 from the free-throw line to make it a 71-69 game. Elmira retained the ball following the technical but missed a three and the Wolves got the ball. However, Keuka turned the ball over with 22 seconds left to play. Following a timeout, Elmira made a layup with 14 seconds left to tie the game. The Wolves took a timeout for the final shot. However, Keuka had the ball stolen at midcourt in the final seconds and Elmira’s layup beat the buzzer to defeat the Wolves 73-71.

KC Notes:

  • Keuka College has had difficulty playing at Elmira. The Wolves are 3-15 at Elmira all-time and 12-22 overall in the series
  • 25 points for Akinlana Popoola set a new career-high for the guard
  • Makya Morrison also set a new career-high with 11 points and 9 rebounds
  • Amar Jackson surpassed his rebounding total from last year to set a new personal best

Up Next for Keuka College: The Green and Gold return to their home court this weekend for a pair of Empire 8 games. Keuka College will host Alfred University on Friday night and then face Houghton University on Saturday.

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