Men’s Basketball Holds Off Curry, 79-66

MILTON, Mass. – Evan Cook led a four-player pack in double figures to help Suffolk men's basketball keep a Colonels comeback at bay and hand Curry a 79-66 Commonwealth Coast Conference loss Tuesday night at Katz Gymnasium. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 79 | Curry 66
RECORDS: Suffolk (5-5, 2-2 CCC) | Curry (6-5, 0-4 CCC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Curry may have scored the first points of the night, but Suffolk scored 17 straight to make things lopsided, 17-2, in its favor at the midway point of the opening stanza.  

The Rams kept their feet on the gas pedal and pushed their advantage to as many as 26, 38-12, after Cook capped off a 7-0 Suffolk spurt with his third trey of the night. 

The Colonels managed to couple back-to-back buckets together to end the first half and send Suffolk into the locker room with a comfortable 38-18 cushion.  

A different Curry team came out of the intermission as the Colonels charged back over the first seven minutes and trimmed the distance to seven, 46-39, behind a 21-10 stretch.  

An eight-point game remained at the under 12 media timeout when Keenan Robertson subbed in for the Rams. The junior commanded a 10-1 Suffolk stretch, scoring eight of the 10 points, to push the blue-and-gold's edge back to 16, 62-46, at the 7:55 mark. 

Suffolk managed to maintain that double figure margin until the final 2:30 when James Scalli was fouled going up for a 3-pointer and made all three shots at the line to trim the gap to eight, 69-61.  

Robertson restored the 10-point lead on the Rams next possession.  

With under two minutes to go in regulation, Curry gambled with quick shots and by forcing Suffolk to win it at the free throw line. 

Suffolk went 8-for-10 at the charity strip over the final 1:22 to preserve the victory. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Cook finished with a game-high 22 points. He went 7-for-11 from the floor, 3-for-5 from 3-point range and did not miss (5-5) at the four line. In addition to his offensive output, which saw three helpers, he grabbed six boards and two steals.
• Robertson registered 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half. He put together a 6-for-8 performance from the field and 7-for-8 showing from the charity stripe. The junior added eight caroms, two handout sand one takeaway. 
• Danny Yardemian racked up 17 points, seven boards, three dimes and three steals. 
• Jake Gomez rounded out the foursome in double figures in scoring with 10 points to go along with two rebounds, two blocks and two steals. 
• Cole LeVangie pitched in nine caroms, five points and one handout. 
• Suffolk shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the floor, 33.3 percent (6-18) from behind-the-arc and 80.8 percent (21-26) at the line.
• The Rams outrebounded the Colonels, 40-31. 
• Suffolk capitalized on the Colonels 17 turnovers, turning them into 21 points. 
• 38 of Suffolk's points came in the paint.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk moved to 35-7 all-time against Curry. 
• The win marks the Rams ninth in a row versus the Colonels. 
• Suffolk is unbeaten, 7-0, against Curry with Jeff Juron on the bench. 
• As the away team, the Rams hold a 13-2 record versus the Colonels. 
• Yardemian made a Suffolk-best five free throws and rewrote a career-high in free throw attempts (7). 
• Cook matched a personal-best three triples made. He has made three 3-pointers four times this season including back-to-back contests.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk is scheduled to host the University of New England at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court Thursday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m.