FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Fredonia posted its first win of the season, turning aside Geneseo 91-84 in double overtime, in SUNYAC men's basketball Tuesday night at Dods Hall.
Junior guard
De'Quan Smith (Rochester, N.Y. / Penfield) had a career-high 39 points on 15 of 25 shooting, including 6 of 12 from beyond the arc, as the Blue Devils moved to 1-9 overall and 1-3 in the conference. Geneseo fell to 4-7 and 1-4.
Smith's three-point play with 2:06 left in the second overtime gave Fredonia the lead for keeps, 86-83. A running bank shot by sophomore guard
Mark Morgan (Bronx, N.Y. / South Bronx Prep) upped the margin to five points before junior guard
Bediako Nyasa (Bronx, N.Y. / Walton Campus) made three free throws down the stretch.
Nyasa finished with 16 points, Morgan with 10 points and seven rebounds, and senior guard
Isaiah Ice (Bronx, N.Y. / Iona Prep) with 10 points and six assists.
Smith, who came into the game averaging 9.2 points per game, also had five steals and three assists. His 39 points was the most by a Blue Devil since Tyrone Clark scored a school-record 45 points vs. Potsdam on Jan. 24, 2014. All-American and Fredonia Hall of Famer Chris Hughey also scored 45 points in a single game.
Junior guard
Colden George (North Java, N.Y. / Attica) hit a pair of important three-point shots -- the first to give his team a 51-48 lead in the second half, and the second to make it 79-75 Fredonia during the first overtime -- and grabbed six rebounds, two coming at key moments late in the game.
Senior forward
Cody Johnson (Cassadaga, N.Y., / Cassadaga Valley) did not score but contributed three blocked shots and five rebounds.
In addition, sophomore forward
Messiah Hill (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Paul Robeson) had seven rebounds.
The Blue Devils led by five points late in regulation and by four in the final minute of the first overtime, only to have the Knights rally to tie. Key contributors for Geneseo were Michael Gammon with 21 points; Terrance Nichols with 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists; Zack Panebiano with 14 points, including 9 of 10 from the foul line; and Jack Manke and Sean Crowley with 10 points each.
Fredonia takes to the road for its next two SUNYAC games, Friday night at Potsdam and Saturday afternoon at Plattsburgh.
