By: Mike Rose
Alfred, NY -- Mekhi Beckett overcame a rough shooting night to drill the game-winner with just over a minute to play as the Brockport Golden Eagles men's basketball team defeated the Alfred Saxons 54-52. Beckett shot 3-11 from the field on the night but came through late for Brockport's fourth straight victory.
Before Beckett's heroics late, Tony Arnold led a second-half surge to keep the Golden Eagles hopes alive. Alfred jumped out to a 29-24 lead in a first-half slog that saw Arnold and Beckett combine for four points and four fouls. The Saxons shot 20 free throws in the first half and were powered by nine points and 10 rebounds from Franyls Valenzuela.
Arnold emerged from the locker room with newfound aggression. He poured in 15 of his game-high 17 points in the final 20, including five straight before Beckett's winner. Alfred did two chances to take the lead late with Casey Curran misfiring on a three with 57 seconds left before Tyler Curran saw his three-pointer rattle halfway down and out at the buzzer.
It was a gutsy effort from Brockport who found a way to win despite playing its worst offensive game of the season. The Golden Eagles were held under 60 points for the first time this season and shot 37.9% from the field and 25% from three, going 4-16. In addition, the Golden Eagles were without forward Tyler Cowie, who missed the game with an illness.
Despite all of this Brockport found a way to escape behind its defense and the timely scoring of Arnold and Beckett. Arnold was overcome with emotion postgame after suffering a personal loss earlier in the week.
"I lost someone earlier this week," Arnold said. "I just wanted to stick with and I knew it was going to be hard but I just stayed with it, my teammates trusted me and that's how we got the win tonight."
Arnold and his teammates now sit at 4-1 on the season following the victory. The Golden Eagles will open SUNYAC play this weekend as they take on Oneonta (2-3) on Friday with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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