Twins basketball, Mike Alert, three ball, shooter
Twins Fall Just Short of Perfect Weekend

Twins Fall Just Short of Perfect Weekend

The Twins men's basketball team had a weekend that featured back to back games.  Saturday, they took on North Country Community College at home. Sunday, they traveled to Tompkins Cortland Community College to take on another Region III foe.

The Twins took on the North Country Community College Saints on Saturday at home. The Saints came into this game with a 6-11 record this season. The Twins came into this one fresh off a victory against Clinton Community College. That leaves them with a 9-8 record going into this game.

It was an even match to start the game with both teams taking the lead at various points in the first half. Ultimately the Twins would take the lead into halftime 55-47.  Jihadu Brunner-Brown led the Twins in the first half with 26 first half points. Brunner-Brown shot 75% from behind the arc to reach that mark.

The second half was all Twins as they looked to close out the Saints. A 56-point scoring effort in the second half propelled the Twins to victory, 111-95, over the North Country Saints.  Sophomore Jihadu Brunner-Brown led the team with a season high 40 points in the victory along with seven rebounds and four assists. Freshman Kevin Diaz had another good showing with 16 points scored on 50% shooting.  Freshman Cameron Thomas finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

The next day, the Twins took the trip to take on the Tompkins Cortland Community College Panthers. The Panthers came into this game with a 5-10 record this season. Their last game was a victory at SUNY Broome.

The game started with the Panthers taking a quick 6-0 lead. A couple of baskets would jump start the Twins.  After some back and forth throughout the half, the Twins would take the lead into halftime, 43-34.  The scoring was spread out for the Twins with six players reach six or more points in the first half.

The second half showed signs of struggle for the Twins. They shot just 34% from the field as the Panthers put themselves back into the game. A low scoring half for the Twins let the Panthers tie it up and send it to overtime tied at 80. The Twins struggled to get shots to fall in the overtime period. They ultimately fell to the Panthers, 91-86 in overtime.

Five Twins scored in the double digits in this one.  Sophomore Jihadu Brunner-Brown reached a double-double with 16 points scored and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Bright Afful also reached a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The leading scorer for the Twins was Sophomore Michael Alert with 19 points and four assists. Freshman Cameron Thomas scored 12 points and freshman Kevin Diaz contributed 11 points.

The Twins will be back in action when they take on the Mohawk Valley Community College Hawks in a road game matchup. The next home game for the Twins comes on February 13th when they take on nearby rivals, Hudson Valley Community College.