Spartans Top Lazers for First Win

Cayuga Community College Men's Basketball earned their first win of the season Thursday thanks to a strong defensive performance on the road at Onondaga Community College.

The Spartans led by 10 at halftime and by double-digits for almost the entire second half en route to a 74-64 win over the Lazers. Rebounds and defense keyed Cayuga's win, with two Spartans finishing with double-doubles and a third grabbing double-digit rebounds in the win.

Defensively, the Spartans held the Lazers to their second-lowest point total of the season and almost 20 points below their season scoring average.

"We played very well on the defensive end. We kept them to one-and-done on most of their offensive trips," said Cayuga Coach Tony Borges.

After the teams exchanged the lead early in the first half, the Spartans started building a lead and held a 32-16 advantage with six minutes remaining. A Lazers run in the final minutes cut Cayuga's margin to 39-29 at the break.

The Spartans resumed control of the game in the second half with a 12-2 run to open the frame. OCC cut the lead to 10 several times in the second half, but a three-pointer from Cayuga's Ryan Adams put the Spartans back up 13 with less than four minutes remaining. Cayuga led by more than 10 points the rest of the game.

Forwards Tony Borges and Wol Machteng both finished with double-doubles for the Spartans, with Borges scoring 15 and grabbing 12 rebounds and Machteng finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Sean Pope collected 10 rebounds, and Desean Strachan led the team with four assists. Seven other Spartans finished with at least six points.

Cayuga is now 1-8 on the season and will look to make it consecutive wins Sunday at home against Columbia-Greene Community College. The game is the Spartans' last contest of the fall semester. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.