Rebounding from their loss against the Montclair State Red Hawks, the Kean Cougars took home a narrow win following their second game this season with the Stockton Ospreys. Having previously lost to the Ospreys with a tight seven-point lead (the final score was 94-87), the Cougars took back the field Wednesday night with a score of 89-79.
The Ospreys certainly did not make it easy for the Cougars. During the first half, it seemed as though the Cougars would coast to victory as they slowly but surely increased the score gap. In the second half, however, the Ospreys nearly managed to pull through, especially within the last ten minutes, at one point narrowing the gap to as little as six points as the seconds ticked away. In the end, however, the lead was too much for the away players, and the Cougars triumphed.
Here are some of the highlights of the game.
First Half: Cougars Bound Ahead
The Cougars took an early lead in the first three minutes of the game, interrupted only briefly when two free throws shot by EJ Matthews-Spratley brought the game to an 11-11 tie. Thereafter was only easy coasting for the Cougars, as they unrelentingly beat back the Ospreys, widening the gap in the scores. The first half ended with an 18-point game, with the score 50-32 in favor of the Cougars.
Andrew Turco: King of 3 Pointers, King of Fouls?
Bested only by EJ Matthews-Spratley of the Ospreys, guard Andrew Turco scored the most points for the Cougars this game, the 22 points were his highest since he joined Kean. With this win, he inches closer to his personal record of 29 points during his time with the Drew University Rangers.
Particularly remarkable was Turco’s unceasing three-pointers, shooting no less than six in the first half. Indeed, his performance seemed to incentivize the rest of the team, which pulled fifteen successful attempts throughout the game, to the Ospreys’ eight. They were, in the words of Kean Live sportscaster John de Freitas’s words, “shooting the lights out” of the game.
Not all was sunshine for the graduate student, however. In one particularly nasty moment, as forward Tayvon Gaither attempted a shot in the first five minutes of the game, a run-in with Turco caused him to collide headfirst into the wall–not into the mats positioned to mitigate injuries, but into the switches between the mats. The injury was not too severe, however, and nothing worse than a foul was called.
Last Minute, Last Hour
The last minute of the game, always the most nail-biting and, often, the most crucial element of the game, seemed to stretch for an hour as foul after foul was called. Meanwhile the Cougars’ lead continued to wax and wane like a slinky, as the Ospreys tackled their last chance to win the game. The final buzzer sounded with the Cougars ten points ahead, as an Osprey attempted a final, desperate shot that missed by a wide margin.
Cougars Climb Through the Ranks
The Cougars’ win against the Ospreys shook up the NJAC standings for this season. While Stockton, previously number one, was overtaken by Ramapo and Montclair State, Kean managed to bump itself up from sixth place to fourth place, proving itself to still be a contender for the tournaments as the season progresses.
The Cougars will play their next game in Ewing, NJ against the TCNJ Lions, while the Ospreys will travel to Wayne, NJ to play against the William Paterson Pioneers.
