SUNY Corning Punches Ticket to NJCAA Region III Final Four

A strong second-half performance fueled the fifth-seeded SUNY Corning Community College men's basketball team to an 80-69 road win over fourth-seeded Hudson Valley Community College in the quarterfinal round of the NJCAA Region III Tournament. With the win, the Red Barons join Genesee Community College, Onondaga Community College, and Herkimer College in the NJCAA Region III Final Four.

All of the final four games will take place on Genesee Community College's campus at the Anthony T. Zambito Gymnasium in Batavia, New York, on February 26-27. Additional details to follow.

SUNY Corning dominated the boards, and thus controlled Tuesday night's quarterfinal matchup. The Red Barons outrebounded the Vikings, 56-37, which included 18 offensive rebounds for CCC. Xavier Hill led the way on the glass with a monster 19-rebound effort, a full six rebounds more than his previous season high.

Hill produced 10 points to go along with 19 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season. He also rejected a season-high three shots and dished out a trio of assists.

Bryce Smith was one rebound shy of collecting his seventh double-double of the year with a team-high 25 points and nine rebounds. Smith was ultra-efficient from the floor, knocking down 11-of-13 shots. He also tied for the team high in steals with three takeaways.

Damont Hanton added 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Andre Starks and Jamere Kosh added nine and four points, respectively. SUNY Corning's bench chipped in 17 points, nine of which came from Maurice Doby. Five of Doby's points came from the free-throw line, and he shared the team high in steals with Smith with three.

For Hudson Valley, Kobi Wallace produced a game-high 26 points on 10-of-22 shooting. Luke Bourgault and Trevor Green added 18 and 16 points, respectively. Meanwhile, the Vikings' bench was limited to just five points on a collective 1-for-11 shooting performance.