CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, 518-629-7898 or 518-416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, December 4, 2021

The Hudson Valley Community College men's basketball program jumped out early on Cayuga and never looked back as they claimed their fifth win of the season after defeating the Spartans 89-66 at the McDonough Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon in Troy, NY. 

Hudson Valley took advantage of a hot shooting start in the first half of the game as they were led by sophomore Luke Bourgault, who finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-11 from behind the three-point arc. Bourgault led the opening charge against the Spartans as he shot 60-percent from the floor (6-of-10) and 50-percent (4-of-8) from behind the arc for 16 first half points. Jourdan Belcher also had a strong start for Hudson Valley with 10 points and five offensive rebounds in 12 minutes of first half action. Belcher finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds in 17 total minutes. 

All five Hudson Valley starters reached double-digit scoring on the day. Joining Belcher and Bourgault were Eriks Veidemanis, who posted 11 points (3-of-9 3PT), Trevor Green finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds for a big double-double and Aristide Gateretse finished with 12 points before fouling out with five minutes remaining in the game. 

The bench played an important role as they were able to take advantage of key minutes to help Hudson Valley secure the win. Freshman Josh Kiefer tallied a career-best 28 minutes of action and left his mark on the score sheet with six points (2-of-3 3PT), six rebounds, four assists and a steal. Chris Peary played 14 minutes and scored six points and grabbed five rebounds. Sandro Nardone was forced out of the game due to a small injury, but he fought his way back into the game to close out Cayuga with six points of his own, along with two rebounds and one assist. 

Men's basketball returns to the court tomorrow as they continue its season-high four-game home stand. The Vikings welcome Genesee to the McDonough Sports Complex at Hudson Valley Community College. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and can be viewed online at HVCCAthletics.com/watch.