Opportunity knocks for surging Devils
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Men's basketball
FREDONIA, N.Y. -- If the quarterfinal round of the 2009 SUNYAC men's basketball tournament proved anything, it's that anything can happen.
Three of the top four seeds were eliminated Tuesday. That leaves the No. 3, No. 5, No. 7, and No. 8 seeds to vie for the conference title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Fredonia State -- the No. 5 seed -- can take strength from the first-round upsets, as well as a well-timed hot streak. The Blue Devils (17-8) are winners of four straight games -- and seven of their last nine -- heading into their semifinal meeting 6 p.m. Friday at Oswego against the No. 7 Cortland Red Dragons (12-14).
"We have," head coach Kevin Moore said, "such a great opportunity this weekend to take our basketball program to another level ... If we can continue to play great team defense and move the ball unselfishly on offense, I really like our chances. We're playing our best basketball when it matters the most."
If there was one statistic that might help explain the Blue Devils' late surge, it would be field-goal shooting percentage. Eight of the team's top 10 best shooting games this season have come during the aforementioned nine-game stretch, including a season-high 57.1 percent in the 83-65 quarterfinal win Tuesday at Oneonta.
In addition, the Blue Devils had their best game this season from three-point range -- 9 of 14 for 64.3 percent -- last Saturday in a 71-68 victory over Cortland at Steele Hall.
The Blue Devils' scoring load has been balanced all season. Junior guard Brad Cooper (Monticello) leads the team at 11.6 points per game, followed by junior guard Kevin Saunders (Batavia) at 10.2, senior guard Wayne Davis (Binghamton) at 10.0, and sophomore forward Julius Bryant (Buffalo/Hutch Tech) at 9.5.
In the rebounding department, senior center Bryan Morse (Beacon) averages 5.3 and Bryant 4.9 rebounds per game. Davis (69 assists), Cooper (50), and Saunders (49) have been the top playmakers. Cooper leads the team with 53 steals, and junior forward Kyle Mitchell (Lake Luzerne/Hadley-Luzerne) has a team-high 14 blocked shots
The No. 8 Brockport Golden Eagles (12-14) meet the host and No. 3 Oswego Lakers (16-9) in the other semifinal Friday at 8 p.m. The championship game is 4 p.m. on the Lakers' home floor.
BLUE DEVIL BRIEFS: Saunders has missed the last two games with an injury ... Friday's game for the Blue Devils will be their second time this season on a neutral floor. They opened their regular season Nov. 15 with a 64-55 victory over Allegheny at Rutgers-Newark.