AMHERST, Mass. (Nov. 19, 2021) – The SUNY-Geneseo men's basketball team hit 10 of 16 three-point attempts in the first half while racing to a 52-21 halftime lead on its way to defeating Rutgers University-Camden, 96-71, in the opening game of the Ken Wright Invitational Tournament here Friday night.
 
Geneseo (1-1) will play host Amherst College (3-0) in the championship game Saturday at 2 p.m. Amherst routed the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 100-38, in Friday's other semifinal game.
 
The Scarlet Raptors (0-3) will play MCLA (1-4) in the consolation game at 12 p.m.
 
Senior forward Michael Gannon scored the first five points of the game, giving the Knights the lead for good. After a layup by the Raptors' sophomore forward Tristan Cornish, Geneseo rattled off the next 11 points to lead, 16-2. A three-pointer by Rutgers-Camden freshman guard Andrew Walker ended that string, but Geneseo immediately started a 21-point run, featuring three treys, to make it a 37-5 game.
 
By halftime, the Knights held a 52-21 lead and were 10-for-16 from three-point range, including 4-for-4 apiece by Gannon and guard Terrance Nichols. Gannon had 14 points at the break, Nichols had 12 and guard Cole Kattan had eight.
 
Walker led the Scarlet Raptors at halftime with six points, while freshman guard Devin Williams added five.
 
Geneseo shot 20-for-32 overall in the opening half, while Rutgers-Camden was 8-for-27 and also made six more turnovers (10-4) than the Knights.
 
Nichols finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, while forward Raymond Grabowski added 15. Gannon had all 14 of his points in the opening half, scoring half of the Knights' first 28 points. Guard Harrison Dignan dished out 11 assists.
 
Junior guard Jaymes Savage led the Scarlet Raptors with 14 points, while adding three assists and three steals. Junior forward Jordan Carter notched 13 points and Williams had 11 points and four rebounds. Cornish and freshman guard/forward Keyshawn Peterson both had four rebounds to tie for the team lead, while Walker tied Savage with a team and game-high three steals, while adding six points.
 
Rutgers-Camden shot 28-for-65 (43.1 percent) from the field, including 11-for-39 (28.2) from three-point range. Geneseo shot 38-for-64 (59.4) overall, with a 16-for-26 (61.5) performance from beyond the arc.
 
The Knights held a 40-29 advantage off the boards.