Men’s Basketball Win Grinder in Hamilton

Hamilton, ON – The St. Clair College Men's Basketball team overcame some early trouble to grind out a 69-65 win over Mohawk College Friday night at their David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre.  The Saints now sport a 14-2 record which further cements them in 2^nd Place of the OCAA's West Division with just two games remaining in their regular season schedule. 

Mohawk was able to put St. Clair in a 16-6 pit midway through the first quarter but the Saints battled back to just a 20-18 deficit before entering the second frame.  The teams played nearly even in the second quarter until Mohawk hit a late triple as the halftime buzzer sounded for a 37-36 lead.  Saints took control of the game in the third quarter and outscored Mohawk 20-12.  The contest had seen 4 ties and 9 lead changes to that point before St. Clair seized a 10-point lead early in the fourth at 59-49.  The Saints made enough free throws down the stretch to hold on even though Mohawk hit a few late 3-pointers to come within a bucket in the final minute.

The teams shared 51 turnovers which created a very low scoring affair, but St. Clair shot over 38% from the field and won the war on the glass outrebounding Mohawk 47-35.  The Saints used that advantage to score 16 second chance points but also netted 32 points after imposing 29 Mohawk turnovers.

Jacob Masters (Toronto, ON) and Amari Frye (Ypsilanti, MI) each topped St. Clair with 18 points with teammate Galdo Tutu (Windsor, ON) contributing 12 points off the bench.  Frye earned the double-double with 10 assists to go with 5 rebounds while Masters grabbed 6 rebounds.  Mazin Tiea (Windsor, ON/Kennedy) was a force on boards collecting 14 ricochets and added 8 points for the Saints.

St. Clair visits Niagara College (Welland) on Saturday for a 4pm tip to complete the weekend swing trip.  The Saints finish their OCAA West Division schedule at the SportsPlex Feb. 8^th when they host Redeemer University (Ancaster).