NCAA BASKETBALL: Golden Knights’ women upset No. 4 Assumption; men also defeat Assumption
ALBANY, N.Y. — It was a clean sweep of Assumption by The College of Saint Rose women’s and men’s basketball teams on Tuesday evening. The women’s basketball team recorded its first victory of this season behind a 62-55 triumph against No. 4 ranked Assumption at Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium. The result marked the Golden Knights’ first win against a nationally-ranked opponent since Jan. 2011.
Sophomore guard and Schalmont High School graduate Payton Graber scored 17 points, while junior guard and Tamarac High School graduate Syrita Faraj netted 16 to lead the Saint Rose offense. Sophomore forward Aniya McDonald-Perry added 10 points and eight rebounds as well.
The Golden Knights led by one going into halftime, with the two teams exchanging the lead seven different times in a seesaw first half.
After going scoreless in the first two periods, Graber came alive with 11 points in the third to help Saint Rose outscore the Greyhounds 19-9 across the period to take an 11-point advantage into the final frame.
Assumption shot 9-of-17 from the field while limiting the Golden Knights to an 18.2 percent (2-for-11) shooting average in the fourth, yet, Saint Rose converted 14 free throws across the closing minutes to secure the victory.
Guard Marina Callahan tallied 21 points to top an Assumption squad that was ranked in the top six in the most recent version of multiple national rankings. The Greyhounds advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2022 NCAA Division II women’s basketball championship and were voted the favorites to win the Northeast-10 Conference this season.
Next up, the Golden Knights are back home to host Bridgeport in a 2 p.m. non-conference matchup on Sunday.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side, the Golden Knights defeated Assumption 69-61 in Northeast-10 Conference action at Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium.
Sophomore guard Adam Silas netted 15 points, while freshman guard Dante Weise finished with 13 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
The Golden Knights never trailed after scoring the first 11 points of the contest. Saint Rose built a lead that reached 17 points in the opening half on the way to the wire-to-wire win.
Saint Rose benefited from 24 points off Greyhound turnovers, in addition to outscoring Assumption 32-26 in the paint.
Junior guard Tristian Jeffries tallied 12 points and junior forward Ata Turgut registered eight points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals for the Golden Knights. Weise swiped three steals and junior forward Nuha Sagnia recorded three blocks to key the defensive effort as well.
Looking ahead, Saint Rose next faces non-conference opponent Felician at 4:15 p.m. in Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday.
