De La Cruz’s 18 Points Sparks Lakers to 52-45 Road Win Over Alfred State
ALFRED, NY. – Finger Lakes forward Richard De La Cruz propelled the Lakers to a 52-45 road victory over D-II opponent Alfred State College last night. He led the team to its second consecutive victory by dropping in 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. The win, which pushed Finger Lakes record to 4-5, was its first on the road this season.
The Lakers, coming off of a nail biting 64-63 home win over Jamestown CC-Cattaraugus (took place on 11/20), were riding a bit of positive momentum into Alfred State's territory. Finger Lakes and the Pioneers would play to a low-scoring affair in both half's as neither team couldn't seem to generate a great deal of offense.
The host Pioneers were forced into coughing up 20 turnovers in the losing effort.
The Lakers controlled the rebounding and passing departments in the win. They grabbed 31 team rebounds and dished out 15 assists. Joining De La Cruz with 3 assists each were his teammates – Dominique Higgins and Kaleem Edwards.
Alfred State, on the night, totaled 28 rebounds and 11 assists as a collective group.
The Lakers committed just 13 turnovers in the 40-minute meeting. Of the 20 turnovers that the Pioneers committed, 10 of them resulted in FLCC steals.
Finger Lakes opened up with a 25-22 halftime lead. In the first half, De La Cruz and Will Arberry delivered similar 8-point showings as both Lakers went 3-6 from the field during it.
Not to be overshadowed was the first half shooting efforts that the home team put on. In those 20 minutes, the Pioneers shot 50% from the field where they were 9-18.
Finger Lakes then took the second half by a margin of four points – 27-23.
Alfred State staked out to a 20-10 lead in the first 12 minutes of the contest – but was later outdone by a 15-2 Laker run. Finger Lakes turned in its hefty run over the duration of the final 8 minutes of the first half. After the run, the Lakers never lost the lead once for the remainder of the meeting.
In terms of overall shooting percentages, the Pioneers outshot Finger Lakes by a slim difference – 44% to 42%.
20 of the Lakers 52 points came off of turnovers. In addition, FLCC poured in 22 points in the paint.
In addition to his 3 assists, Arberry, coming off of the bench, notched a double double by registering a 10-point, 10-rebound game. His 10 boards were a game-high.
Edwards, to go along with his 3 assists, punched in an 8-point, 4-rebound, 3-steal showing.
Marquis Chatman and his 11 points led now 4-4 Alfred State. 9 of Chatman's 11 points came via the three-point basket. He finished the game 3-6 from three.
Jamar White also scored in double figures for the Pioneers. He added 10 points in 23 minutes worth of action.
The Lakers, in their next contest, will take on Fulton-Montgomery CC next Tuesday (12/4) at home. Game time tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.