BROCKPORT, N.Y. — Missing from the action last night against the Houghton Highlanders, Brockport Golden Eagles junior forward Mekhi Beckett and senior guard Tony Arnold combined for 34 points in the Golden Eagles' men's basketball 85-53 win over the Alfred Saxons.
After Brockport's 85-53 win against Houghton, Brockport picked up right where it left off. Much like the game against the Highlanders, Brockport took the lead with 15:11 remaining in the first half and never looked back.
Beckett and Arnold did not start the game but sparked a momentum shift for the Golden Eagles early in the first half. In his first six minutes on the court, Arnold scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds.
Brockport regained a double-digit lead, heading into the break up 36-25.
"“It felt good, mainly because I didn't play yesterday," Arnold said. "So it felt good to just be out here my teammates again, just to realize that I got a lot to be grateful for, and just just be a leader, be the person I'm supposed to be on the floor for my teammates and my coaches. So it felt good to just be out here and just be back to myself".
The second half saw 1,000-point club member Beckett take over. After a quiet first half in which he made just one three-pointer, Beckett exploded in the second half, scoring 15 points while shooting seven-of-nine from the field and three-of-five from the perimeter.
Beckett emphasized his leadership role.
“My mindset was just to be a good teammate, a good leader, come out here, play hard on the defensive end, do everything coaches want me to do, be aggressive, and just lead.” Beckett said. "It means everything, my teammates look up to me. They look at me as a leader. So for me to come out here, not playing last night, not being able to go out there and win with them, that just motivated me even more tonight, to come out there and play hard for them."
Arnold kept up the pace, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Emilio Nabili also had a career-high 14 points. The Golden Eagles corrected their three-point shooting in the second half, finishing five-of-nine from beyond the arc.
"I could get a double-double because my teammates will find me on offense, so the points will come, it's about playing defense, being in the right position to rebound," Arnold said. "So I had seven rebounds and a half, kind of disappointed, I didn't get more than three in the second half but the double double is big, and I'm just glad we got to win tonight."
Head coach of Brockport Joe Clarke noticed Beckett and Arnolds fiery demeanor and felt the chip their shoulders.
“They played angry," Clarke said. "Whether they were upset about not playing yesterday or about something else, they channeled that anger the right way, and it showed."
Brockport also had success at the free-throw line, attempting 25 shots in total and making 17 in the second half. The Golden Eagles had 41 rebounds, 14 assists and had 11 steals compared to the Saxtons four.
The Golden Eagles improved to 9-8 overall and 7-1 in conference play as they prepare to face SUNY Geneseo on Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Geneseo.
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