Men's Basketball Falls Short against No. 9 Fulton-Montgomery

CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, (518) 629-7898 or (518) 416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Tuesday, November 7, 2023 

The Hudson Valley Community College men's basketball program dropped a hard-fought game 88-86 as their upset bid against No. 9 ranked Fulton-Montgomery fell short on Tuesday evening at the McDonough Sports Complex on the campus of HVCC.

Hudson Valley trailed by as many as eight points in the first half of the game when they went on an 8-0 run to tie the game up at 29-29 with 6:53 remaining before the halftime break. Hudson Valley remained close as they eyed another win over a top-10 program. The Vikings started last season with 5 straight wins against the nation's best programs. Rowan Swan paced the Vikings in the first half of the game as he scored 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting, including 1-of-1 from behind the arc and a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line.

With 10 second remaining in the game, Hudson Valley trailed 85-84 when Fulton-Montgomery's Nick Butler hit the dagger, a three-point bucket with nine second remaining in the game and he pushed the Raiders lead to 88-84. Hudson Valley quickly attacked the rim, resulting in a put back by Owen Feagles but the Vikings ran out of time, with the game ending on a last second heave from three-quarters court by Swan.

As a team, the Vikings were led by Swan, who finished the game with 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Jason Harrison came off the bench and scored 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting and added a team-best five assists. James Blake II and Keyaton Parks also scored in double figures as they both tallied 11 points in the game.

Up next for the Vikings is another tough matchup as they welcome NJCAA Division II program, nationally-ranked SUNY Orange to the McDonough Sports Complex on Thursday, Nov. 9. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m., following the conclusion of the women's game at 5 p.m.