On Sat. Nov. 18, while most of you were home wiping layers of dust off the top of your beds or kneeling on the kitchen floor and patting your thighs trying to win back the affection of your dog while it gazed at you with cold unfamiliarity, Hamilton men’s basketball opened their season facing the State University of New York at Oswego in the first round of Elmira College’s Tip-Off Tournament.
The Hamilton Continentals and Oswego Lakers were locked in fierce competition from the beginning to the end of the game, with neither school advancing more than eight points in front of the other. The two teams pushed back and forth at one another, but neither could hold onto the lead; it slipped through the fingers of whomever grasped it too long. At the end of the first half, the Continentals led 40–34, but Oswego came back strong, turning the score to 47–44 in their favor. The two teams fought in such a manner until the final buzzer, by which Hamilton had secured its victorious score of 75–69. Kena Gilmour ’20 led the Continentals in scoring, racking up 20 points, while Peter Hoffman ’19 led in rebounds and assists, earning nine and four respectively. Additionally, Michael Grassey ’19 scored 12 points, and Tyler Washington ’21 and Andrew Groll ’19 each scored 11.
After this nail-biting victory, the Continentals advanced to the Tip-Off Tournament Championship the following day (Sun., Nov. 19) where they faced Keystone College in the final round of the tournament. Contrary to what one would expect, the championship game was far less competitive than Saturday’s. From the beginning, Hamilton dominated the game, scoring two three-point shots right away and maintaining a comfortable lead for the entirety of the game, which allowed them to rotate in most of their roster. In Sunday’s game, Hoffman led the Continentals with 20 points, and Grassey led in rebounds and assists with eight and six respectively. At the final buzzer, Hamilton had won a decisive victory, scoring 97–60. This secured Hamilton’s title as the champions of the Elmira Tip-Off Tournament, and showed a very promising start for the men. Hamilton’s Gilmour won Most Valuable Player, and Doyle and Hoffman both made the all-tournament team.
Straight out of their victory on Sunday, the Continentals journeyed in high spirits to Danbury, Connecticut on Tues., Nov. 21 to take on Western Connecticut State University. Hamilton maintained its dominant offense, fighting through the close game always one step ahead of Western Connecticut. Key performers in Tuesday’s game included Doyle, who scored 21 points, Groll, who grabbed 13 rebounds, and Gilmour, who earned a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds.
By the end of the first half, the Continentals were up by only five points at a score of 44–39; the first half was a back-and-forth battle between the two powers. However, Hamilton rebounded in the second half of the game, maintaining their lead safely and only allowing Western Connecticut to surpass their score once. Despite this dominant performance from the Continentals, Western Connecticut did not allow themselves to fall too far behind. With three minutes left, the Continentals were up by only five points; however, they redoubled their efforts and scored eight points in a row, effectively securing their victory. The final score resolved at 97–88, another incredibly high scoring game for the Continentals. This nine-point victory continued their undefeated streak, putting their record at 3–0 and earning them a second 97-point game in a row.
On Tues. Nov. 28, the Continentals played their home opener. SUNY New Paltz came to Clinton and Hamilton cruised to a win, dropping 104 points and only yielding 66 to the Hawks. Vince Conn ’20 led the scoring attack with 19 points off the bench, while Grassey added 18, going four of five from beyond the arc, and Hoffman chipped in 14. Gilmour led Hamilton in rebounds with six.
At this point, it looks as if nothing can stand in the way of the men’s lightning fast, powerful offense; so far, no other team has been able to keep up with it. Men’s basketball will host its second home game this Fri., Dec. 1 in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House at 7:00 p.m. against Utica.
