CONTACT: Steve Mullen (518) 629-8063
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, November 4, 2006
Freshman guard Justin Gallo (Brunswick/Lansingburgh High School) poured in 26 points in his first collegiate game to lead the Hudson Valley Community College (1-0) men's basketball team to a 76-74 win over Erie Community College (0-1) in the first round of the Viking Club Invitational played tonight in Troy.
Hudson Valley shot 50 percent (13-for-26) in the second half while limiting Erie to just nine-for-39 from the floor in the half. The bigger Katz (five guys over 6'7") were able to keep it close by shooting 16-for-21 from the line in the second half.
Sophomore Zach Bye (Scotia/Scotia-Glenville High School) added seven points and a game-high 17 rebounds for Hudson Valley. Freshman guard Kevin Timmons (Owings Mills, MD/Owings Mills High School) added nine points.
Erie got a game-high 29 points from sophomore Darian David (Bronx/Monroe High School).
Hudson Valley will meet Springfield Technical Community College in the championship game at 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 5.
HUDSON VALLEY 76, ERIE 74
Erie (74): Darian David 9-8-29, Matt Baker 0-2-2, Marcus Rainey 5-0-10, Pete Loney 5-0-14, Van Alexander 2-0-4, Edward Tunner 0-2-2, Terrell Burgess 1-5-7, Serign Bah 2-0-4, Mike Donnelly 1-0-3, Totals: 25-17-74
Hudson Valley (76): Justin Gallo 10-3-26, Rocco DiJohn 2-2-8, Ryne Luce 3-0-7, Kevin Timmons 3-2-9, Maurice Lane 3-0-6, Zach Bye 2-3-7, Corey Harkins 1-2-5, Kevin Goutos 3-0-6, Bryan Ashline 1-0-2, Totals: 28-12-76
Three-point goals: Erie 7 (David 3, Loney 3, Donnelly); Hudson Valley 8 (Gallo 3, DiJohn 2, Luce, Timmons, Harkins)
Halftime: Erie led 38-36.