CONTACT: Jeff Foley (518) 629-8085 or (518) 210-4161
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Sunday, February 3, 2002
http://www.hvcc.edu
5-of-8 OT Effort Helps Hudson Valley Notch 77-70 Win Against DI Opponent
Troy, N.Y., February 3, 2002 - Jeremy Schneible (Greenwich H.S.) and Michael Lazzari (Bishop Gibbons H.S.) combined to score 12 of Hudson Valley Community College's 15 points in overtime against Monroe Community College this afternoon, propelling the Vikings to their third consecutive upset victory. Powered by an 8-2 run over the final two minutes of the extra session, Hudson Valley rolled to a 77-70 win against Division I Monroe at Troy's McDonough Complex.
As a Division I junior college, Monroe (17-6) offers athletic scholarships. Hudson Valley, a Division III squad that offers no scholarships, is now 12-8 overall. The Vikings, who defeated a pair of nationally ranked schools (Mohawk Valley Community College on Jan. 26 and SUNY Cobleskill on Jan. 29) in their previous two contests, have now won seven of their last nine games.
"Monroe's a good club," said Schneible, who finished with 16 points and four rebounds. "We've had a couple games postponed because of the weather recently, and winning this game should help us get back in a good rhythm for conference games."
The second half against Monroe ended in a 62-62 tie, but Hudson Valley sank 5-of-8 field goal attempts in overtime. Schneible hit three jumpers, and Lazzari contributed a layup and four free throws. He scored 12 points on the game, and was one of four Vikings in double figures.
Monroe made only 3-of-9 field goal attempts in the five-minute overtime session.
"We kept defending hard," said Hudson Valley's seventh-year head coach, Vince Medici, who was honored before the contest as the Vikings' all-time winningest coach. The Jan. 29 victory against Cobleskill was the 130th of Medici's career, moving him past Dan Hytko, who coached at Hudson Valley from 1981 to 1988. "We also ran our offense well in overtime; we didn't take bad shots."
Hudson Valley's Markael Brace (Albany H.S.) led all scorers with 20 points, including a 3-point basket just 20 seconds into overtime. He also had nine rebounds and a pair of assists. Paolo Walker (Columbia H.S.) contributed 12 points and eight rebounds. Steve Valente (La Salle Institute) had five steals and three rebounds.
"That's a good win against a strong opponent," Medici said. "We're very happy to get a victory today. We had some players step up, which is what we needed to have happen. As a coach, it's good to know that you can call somebody's number and have them respond."
In the 2000-01 academic year, Hudson Valley's athletic teams combined to win 72 percent of their contests. The ice hockey team won the NJCAA championship, the baseball team earned a berth in the NJCAA World Series and the football team won the Region III title. The women's basketball team earned a No. 1 national ranking and turned in a 24-3 record while the men's hoop squad competed in the Region III championship game. Additionally, two Vikings earned Region III Player-of-the-Year status, 20 were named All-Region III performers, and 10 were honored with All-American status.