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Blue Devil men top Knights in thriller

Special to the OBSERVER

GENESEO — Richard De La Cruz connected on a pair of free throws with 1:29 left to play to give Fredonia its first lead of the game and the Devils dominated the final minute-and-a-half of play to claim a 68-62 victory at Geneseo on Saturday.

Nicc Johnson would lead the Devils with 15 points, while De La Cruz added 14 and Dante Williams had 13. Ian Helps was the fourth Devil in double-digits with 11.

Following the clutch free throws by De La Cruz, Keith Ruiz stole the ball and kicked ahead to Johnson who was fouled as he made the layup on the fast break. Johnson completed the three-point play to push the lead to 64-60.

Geneseo converted a layup on its next possession before Justin Tapper and Williams each connected on a pair of free throws in the final 21 seconds to give the final. The Devils went seven for seven from the line in the decisive stretch.

The game started with both teams firing up the long range jumpers. It took 2:53 and a combined five missed threes before Geneseo’s John Decker nailed a three to open scoring.

Williams made a pair of threes for the Devils and Decker converted a second three. Add in a layup by Justin Ringen of Geneseo, and the Knights held an 8-6 lead.

Following a traditional three-point play by Geneseo, Keith Ruiz nailed a third three pointer. Geneseo would finish with 14 made threes and the Devils six.

Geneseo led by as many as 11 in the first half, but the Devils closed strong. With Geneseo up 32-21, the Devils closed out the half on a 9-0 run to make it a 32-30 game at intermission.

A Brandon Hodge jumper on the Devils first possession in the second half tied the game at 32. The Devils tied the game again at 53 following a Nicc Johnson dunk at 4:44. Geneseo would lead by as many as five before the Devils made their final comeback.

Fredonia improves to 4-5 in the SUNYAC, and 7-9 overall. Helps led the Devils with seven rebounds, and Williams was three for three from downtown. The Devils had fallen to the Knights in overtime just four days earlier.

Geneseo falls to 5-3 and 10-5. Decker finished with 20 points, and Ringen had 12.

The team returns to Steele Hall next weekend to take on New Paltz and Oneonta.

Men’s Hockey

Bogart, Devils blank J&W, 4-0

Fredonia sophomore goaltender Eric Bogart made 33 saves to earn his first collegiate shutout and Jimmy Morgan had a goal and an assist to lead the Blue Devils over Johnson & Wales, 4-0, in men’s non-conference college hockey Saturday afternoon.

Morgan broke a scoreless tie with his fourth goal of the season on a set play at 4:28 of the third period. With the faceoff in Fredonia’s defensive end, one player hurried back to the Blue Devil bench through the near door while Morgan burst off the bench from the far door. A teammate’s pass put Morgan in all alone on Johnson & Wales goaltender Joey Ballmer.

The Blue Devils added to their lead with two power-play goals during a five-minute major penalty on the Wildcats. Sophomore defenseman Benjamin Casale made it 2-0 with his first collegiate goal. Freshman center Gavin Nickerson scored his second goal of the season to make it 3-0.

Fredonia’s final goal was scored by sophomore winger Todd Schauss, his sixth of the year, into an empty net with 59 seconds left. It was the Blue Devils’ first empty-net goal of the season.

Bogart earned the No. 1 star for his first shutout; he was playing his 26th game for the Blue Devils. Morgan was awarded the No. 2 star and Casale the No. 3 ahead of J&W’s Ballmer, who finished with 39 saves.

The victory left Fredonia with a 6-7-2 mark, including a 7-2 win Friday over Western New England. The Blue Devils play at home twice next weekend, too, both games against Post University. The Saturday night is also Pink The Rink night. Both games next weekend have 7 p.m. faceoffs.

Saturday’s loss dropped Johnson & Wales to 5-8-2.

Swimming & Diving

Bartlett wins both boards

Meghan Bartlett finished first off both boards and Lydia Gaughran was credited with a pair of firsts as the women’s swimming and diving competed against Grove City on Saturday.

Bartlett scored a 277.65 off the 3m board and a 281.92 off the 1m board. Sam Kowalewski was second in both events, with a 258.75 and 233.69, respectively.

Gaughran finished in 5:52 in the 500 free and 1:08.69 in the in the 100 butterfly.

The 200 free relay team of Aurielle Marvin, Sam Angrignon, Bartlett and Taylor Chwalinski was awarded first in a time of 1:53.17.

Fredonia had four other second-place finishes. Chwalinski in the 100 backstroke (1:09.80), Angrignon in the 500 free (6:05.06), Caroline Bilotti in the 100 butterfly (1:09.30) and Kim Ling in the 200 IM (2:52.39).

Grove City took the team victory, 163-108.

In the men’s events, Arron Carlson won both boards again as the Fredonia men’s swimming and diving team returned to action following their winter training trip to Arizona. Carlson won the 3m with a score of 312.82, and the 1m board with a mark of 326.40.

Bill Bradley (Dunkirk/Dunkirk) finished first in the 100 butterfly in 55.38. He was followed by Liam Jones in 57.19. Troy Lubanski topped the 200 IM in 2:02.56, and was followed by teammate Jonah Adeson in 2:21.00.

The 200 free relay team touched  in 1:32.99 and earned the top spot on the podium. Pat Woods, Liam Jones, Ben Chatley and Bradley made up the quartet.

Second place finishers included Lubanski in the 100- and 200 yard back strokes in 56.34 and 2:03.88, respectively. Jake Favret was runner up in the 100- and 200-yard breast stroke. He was .15 seconds off the pace in the 100, finishing at  1:00.48. He turned in a 2:24.30 in the 200. The 200-yard medley relay team of Lubanski, Favret, Bradley and Liam Jones touched in 1:39.48 for a second-place finish.

Jake Storms took second off the 3m board (260.33) and Christian Krasnek was second off the 1m board (269.24).

Grove City won the meet 159-131.

The swimmers have a couple weeks off before returning to Steele Hall on Jan. 28th. Prior to that, the divers compete at Trinity University in Texas in a two-day event Jan. 20th and 21st.

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