Hamilton defeated Hartwick College 78-67 in the nightcap. Norwich pulled away in the second half to win 76-59 against the University of New England. It was the season opener for all four teams.
Tsakani Ngobeni \'07 led Hamilton with 24 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots. Ngobeni scored the 1,000th point of his career and now has 1,021. Nick Jones \'07 added 15 points and Harlee Wood \'09 chipped in 12 for the Continentals. Hamilton ended the first half on a 12-4 run to take a 41-32 lead into the break. The Continentals never trailed again. Hartwick\'s Jan Cocozziello \'09 led all scorers with 29 points. Cory Carson \'08 netted 18 and handed out a game-high seven assists for the Hawks.
Cory Keeling \'09 poured in a game-high 23 points to lead Norwich. Keeling made 5-of-6 three-point field goal attempts. Rene Cheatham \'07 dropped in 14 points, including the 1,000th point of his career, and now has 1,002. Cheatham added eight rebounds and two blocks. Jerrold Williams \'08 registered 12 points and six steals off the bench. The Cadets outscored UNE 35-22 in the second half as they made 11 of 15 free throw attempts. Isaac Stickney \'08 paced the Nor\'Easters with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Joe Selmer \'09 and John Marriott \'08 added 12 points apiece.
Hamilton and Norwich meet for the tournament title at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18. UNE and Hartwick play in the consolation game at 6.
BOX SCORES University of New England vs Norwich University 11/17/06 6 p.m. at Scott Field House; Clinton, N.Y. At Scott Field House; Clinton, N.Y. NORWICH UNIVERSITY 76, UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND 59 UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND (0-1) Isaac Stickney 6-10 0-1 15; John Marriott 4-10 4-6 12; Joe Selmer 5-9 0-0 12; Nick Farynaz 4-10 0-1 9; Mike Floyd 3-10 0-2 7; Tom Button 2-3 0-0 4; Eric Malcolm 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-53 4-10 59. NORWICH UNIVERSITY (1-0) Cory Keeling 7-11 4-5 23; Rene Cheatham 4-20 6-9 14; Jerrold Williams 4-6 3-4 12; Jamel Bedford 4-8 2-3 11; Scott DuPont 3-6 0-0 6; Cody Hatt 2-2 0-0 4; Mike Filipek 2-4 0-0 4; Odiri Emadu 1-3 0-0 2; Derrick Montiero 0-3 0-0 0; Andy Numa 0-1 0-0 0; Sharada Hines 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-66 15-21 76. University of New England..... 37 22 - 59 Norwich University............ 41 35 - 76 3-point goals-University of New England 7-16 (Isaac Stickney 3-3; Joe Selmer 2-4; Nick Farynaz 1-4; Mike Floyd 1-4; Eric Malcolm 0-1), Norwich University 7-11 (Cory Keeling 5-6; Jerrold Williams 1-2; Jamel Bedford 1-2; Sharada Hines 0-1). Fouled out--University of New England-Joe Selmer, Norwich University-None. Rebounds-University of New England 37 (Isaac Stickney 12), Norwich University 43 (Rene Cheatham 8). Assists-University of New England 9 (Joe Selmer 3; Mike Floyd 3), Norwich University 14 (Cody Hatt 4). Total fouls-University of New England 20, Norwich University 15. Hartwick College vs Hamilton College 11/17/06 8:10 p.m. at Scott Field House; Clinton, N.Y. At Scott Field House; Clinton, N.Y. HAMILTON COLLEGE 78, HARTWICK COLLEGE 67 HARTWICK COLLEGE (0-1) Jan Cocozziello 7-16 14-17 29; Cory Carson 6-13 6-7 18; Kyle Phillips 3-4 0-1 6; Greg Bankowski 3-5 0-0 6; Albe Hulick 2-5 0-1 4; Mike Agostinoni 1-1 0-0 2; Ramond Doyley 1-1 0-0 2; Matt Simoneschi 0-1 0-1 0. Totals 23-46 20-27 67. HAMILTON COLLEGE (1-0) Tsakani Ngobeni 9-17 6-9 24; Nick Jones 4-8 5-5 15; Harlee Wood 4-8 2-6 12; Ramunas Rozgys 3-7 1-3 9; Zarrette Rogers 4-9 0-1 9; Giorgi Chavleishvili 1-3 2-2 4; Dave Alston 1-3 0-0 3; Jay Simpson 1-1 0-0 2; Joe Manns 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-57 16-26 78. Hartwick College.............. 32 35 - 67 Hamilton College.............. 41 37 - 78 3-point goals-Hartwick College 1-7 (Jan Cocozziello 1-2; Cory Carson 0-2; Albe Hulick 0-2; Matt Simoneschi 0-1), Hamilton College 8-21 (Nick Jones 2-4; Ramunas Rozgys 2-5; Harlee Wood 2-2; Dave Alston 1-3; Zarrette Rogers 1-3; Joe Manns 0-1; Tsakani Ngobeni 0-3). Fouled out--Hartwick College-Greg Bankowski; Kyle Phillips; Ramond Doyley, Hamilton College-None. Rebounds-Hartwick College 29 (Jan Cocozziello 7), Hamilton College 32 (Tsakani Ngobeni 14). Assists-Hartwick College 12 (Cory Carson 7), Hamilton College 15 (Tsakani Ngobeni 4). Total fouls-Hartwick College 23, Hamilton College 27. A-877