basketball

Two straight conference wins have the Genesee Community College men’s basketball team in the hunt to host a Region III playoff game when the first round rolls around in a couple of weeks, but the Cougars hit a stumbling block on Thursday night, losing to visiting Niagara County Community College, 73-71.

Niagara grabbed an early first half lead but the Cougars put together a 12-0 run halfway through the opening period to take a 30-19 advantage. The Thunderwolves responded with three straight 3pt baskets and got back to within four later in the half. Genesee took a 36-31 lead into the break.

GCC opened up a double-digit lead early in the second half, but with ten minutes to play, NCCC regained the lead after getting hot from three-point range. Both teams went toe-to-toe during the final few minutes but Niagara took a five point, 73-68 lead with a minute to go. GCC had a chance to capitalize on two missed one-and-one NCCC free throws, but were only able to cash in a 3pt basket from Malik Brown with under a second to play. The Thunderwolves were able to run out the clock and held on for the victory.

(#2 E.J. Blackwell goes to the basket against Niagara defenders on Thursday night)

Vaughn Boler led the way for Genesee with 18 points and nine rebounds. E.J. Blackwell finished with 14 points and 13 assists, Donte Meredith added 13 points and Joe Gray chipped in 10 points.

The Cougars fall to 14-14 on the season and 5-7 in conference play. They will travel to Alfred State College next Thursday night for a 7:30pm start.



The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team fell to Niagara County Community College for the second time this season on Thursday night, by a final score of 65-37.

GCC lost at Niagara in January and fell to the visitors on Thursday night to drop their overall season record to 1-21.

Becky James helped an otherwise slow start for the Lady Cougars, scoring nine of GCC‘s 17 first half points.

Trailing by nine after the half, Genesee gave up a 20-3 run to start the final twenty-minutes and could not find a way back into the game.

James scored a game-high 13 points, Dashawna Jenifer added 10 points and 14 rebounds and Nanase Akagami chipped in 10 points.

Genesee is now 0-10 in conference play and will travel to Alfred State next Thursday for a 5:30pm start.

A hot start to Thursday night's game against visiting Mercyhurst North East had the Genesee Community College men's basketball team out to a 26-9 lead early in the first half of a big, late-season Western New York Athletic Conference clash.

Terryl Coombs scored six of Genesee's first nine points during the fast start and the Cougars were on their way to avenging a January 26th loss at Mercyhurst. The Saints responded, however, and went on a 14-0 run of their own to inch back to within three with four minutes to play in the opening period. GCC held a 32-29 lead at the half.

In the second half, the Saints continued to battle and took a 45-44 lead, six minutes in. Both teams exchanged small runs and with six minutes left, the Cougars held a 60-59 advantage. The next five offensive possessions helped GCC to earn their fifth conference victory of the season, as the Cougars scored 15 points in those five possessions, including two Donte Meredith three-point baskets, a traditional three-point play from Vaughn Boler and E.J. Blackwell and a three-point basket from Joe Gray.

Up 74-64 with three minutes left, Genesee did allow Mercyhurst to get back to within three at 74-71 with under a minute to play, but the Cougars went a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line during the final seconds and held on for an 80-73 win.

Boler and Meredith each scored a game high 23 points. Meredith hit five 3pt baskets on the night. Boler also grabbed 14 rebounds. Coombs finished with 11 rebounds and six points, Gray added 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Blackwell chipped in 15 points.

The win improves Genesee to 5-6 in conference play and 14-13 overall on the year. They will host Niagara County Community College on Thursday night for an 8pm start.

The Genesee Community College women’s basketball team dropped a Western New York Athletic Conference match up against Mercyhurst North East on Tuesday night, 66-48.

The Lady Cougars began the night on a 6-4 run to grab an early lead just three minutes into the contest. They then went through a nearly eight-minute scoreless drought, where Mercyhurst North East took advantage and went on a 13-0 run to take a 17-6 lead.

Genesee would fight back later in the half and cut into the Lady Saints lead after Becky James scored three straight baskets. Trailing by five, Dominique Davis inched GCC closer with a top of the key three-pointer, and Nanase Akagami tied the game after a defensive stop with a layup, completing a 9-0 run for Genesee and tying the game at 24-24.

Mercyhurst responded and went on a 6-0 run to take a 30-24 lead into halftime.

After the break, Davis hit her second of three, three-point basket on the night to get GCC to within three at 32-29. That was as close as the Lady Cougars would get the rest of the night, as Mercyhurst went on a mid-half run of 22-5 to put the game out of reach.

Davis finished the night with a team high 15 points, James added nine points, Paige Hennings and Sarah Scarborough each chipped in eight points and Dashawna Jenifer grabbed 10 rebounds.

Genesee falls to 1-20 on the year and 0-9 in conference play. They will host Niagara County Community College on Thursday night at 6pm.

After a slow start on Saturday afternoon, the Genesee Community College men's basketball team bounced back from Thursday night's loss to pick up a win over Jamestown Community College-Olean, 87-71.

The Jaguars started the afternoon on an 8-0 run to grab the lead. Genesee responded with a 14-3 run to take the lead, a lead they would hold on to for the rest of the game. The Cougars only committed one turnover in the first twenty-minutes and led 34-28 at the break.

Donte Meredith hit an early second half three-point basket for GCC to increase their lead to nine. The Cougars led by 15 with just over 13 minutes to play, but saw their lead dip to just seven with seven minutes remaining.

After a timeout, Genesee went on a 15-2 run in a three-minute span to take control of the game and earned their fourth Western New York Athletic Conference victory of the season.

(Joe Gray (white) skies for a dunk in the first half of GCC’s win over Jamestown CC-Olean on Saturday afternoon)

Vaughn Boler finished the afternoon with a team-high 22 points and also collected eight rebounds. E.J. Blackwell added 19 points and five assists, Denzel Thomas and Terryl Coombs each chipped in ten points and Coombs also added eight points. Maurice Bailey scored eight points and Meredith finished with seven points.

Genesee improves to 13-13 on the season and 4-6 in conference play. They will host Mercyhurst North East on Tuesday night at 8pm.

Dashawna Jenifer recorded another double-double effort for the Genesee Community College women's basketball team in a non-conference clash with Finger Lakes Community College on Tuesday night, but the Lady Cougars fell to the visiting Lady Lakers, 76-68.

Jenifer scored 13 points and grabbed ten rebounds in the first half alone for GCC, but the Lady Cougars fell behind early after not scoring for the first six minutes of the game. Finger Lakes jumped out to an 8-0 lead during that time, but Genesee battled back and got to within two after a 6-0 burst.

GCC turned the ball over 21 times in the opening half, but trailed by just seven at the break.

A 5-0 run to start the second half cut the Finger Lakes lead down to two at 39-37, but the Lady Lakers responded and took their lead into double-digits for the majority of the second half.

(Nanase Akagami (white) hits a 3pt basket early in the second half for GCC)

Genesee made a late surge and a Dominique Davis three-point basket got the Lady Cougars back to within six at 72-66 with a minute to play, but Finger Lakes converted at the free throw line during the final minute and earned the eight-point win.

Jenifer finished with a team-high 19 points and 16 rebounds. Davis added 14 points and Nanase Akagami chipped in 12 points. Falesha Moultrie grabbed seven rebounds and Paige Hennings dished out three assists.

Genesee falls to 1-18 on the season and will travel to Jamestown Community College for a 5:30pm start on Thursday night.

The Genesee Community College men's basketball team overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to win at Jamestown Community College-Olean on Saturday afternoon, 94-91.

Vaughn Boler scored eight of GCC's first 16 points to help the Cougars to an early ten-point lead. Jamestown would get hot from the floor and held a 54-46 lead after a high scoring first half.

Genesee closed the gap early in the second half and E.J. Blackwell tied the game at 61 with a three-point basket. Jamestown would regain the lead and led by as many as six with under six minutes to play. The Cougars got key baskets from Boler, Blackwell and Donte Meredith late, and converted at the freethrow line to grab a 94-91 lead with under ten seconds to play. With one last possession, Jamestown was unable to get off a final shot, and GCC left with the win.

Four Cougars reached double-digits in scoring, led by Boler who finished with 23 points. Joe Gray added 18 points, Terryl Coombs chipped in 16 and Blackwell finished with 15.

The Cougars improve to 12-12 on the season and are 3-5 in conference play. Their next contest will be on Thursday night when they travel to Jamestown Community College.

Three Lady Cougars reached double-figures in scoring at Monroe Community College on Thursday night, but the Genesee Community College women's basketball team fell to the Lady Tribunes, 88-46.

Dashawna Jenifer scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for GCC. Paige Hennings and Nanase Akagami eached scored ten points.

Genesee's only lead came after a first possesion basket by Falesha Moultrie to put GCC in front 2-0. Monroe went on to outscore Genesee 45-15 in the first half and 43-31 in the second. The Lady Cougars committed 25 tournovers on the night.

Genesee falls to 1-17 on the season and 0-7 in Western New York Athletic Conference play. They will host Finger Lakes Community College on Tuesday night at 6pm.



Monroe Community College used a late run to put away Genesee Community College on Thursday night, turning a close game late into an 80-66 win.

The Cougars held the No. 5 Tribunes to 34% shooting in the first half, but trailed 31-30 at the break.

Genesee was within two at 61-59 with just under seven minutes left in the game before Monroe went on a 13-1 run to take control of the game.

Foul troubled plagued GCC, which saw three players foul out in the contest.

Vaughn Boler led the way for Genesee scoring 19 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds. E.J. Blackwell added 14 points and five assists and Donte Meredith chipped in ten points.

Genesee out-rebounded Monroe 47-42 on the night but gave up 33 points on 23 turnovers.

The Cougars fall to 11-12 on the year and are now 2-5 in Western New York Athletic Conference play.

They will travel to Jamestown Community College-Olean on Saturday afternoon for a 1pm start.

The Genesee Community College men's basketball team made a late charge on the road at Mercyhurst North East on Saturday afternoon, but came up short in their fourth conference loss of the season.

Both teams played at an even pace until late in the first half when Mercyhurst turned an 18-18 tie into a 30-24 lead with a pair of three-point baskets and a trio of layups on the offensive end. The Saints took a 43-39 lead into the break.

In the second half, Joe Gray turned a missed shot into a tip-in basket and tied the game at 54 with 14 minutes left in the game. The Saints responded with a 16-6 run and took a ten-point, 70-60 lead with eight minutes remaining. Mercyhurst upped their lead to as many as 14 with five minutes to go, but the Cougars battled back.

Malik Brown hit a jump shot with under three minutes to play to cut the lead down to nine, and after forcing a couple of Mercyhurst turnovers, Donte Meredith got the Cougars to within five with a layup with under a minute to play. GCC then forced another turnover and capitalized with a Voughn Boler layup to make it a three-point game with less than 30 seconds to go. After a pair of made free-throws by the home team, Brown stepped into a top of the key three-pointer and cut the lead down to two with under five seconds remaining. Unable to come away with a steal, GCC was forced to put the Saints at the line where they converted on both free-throws to put the game out of reach. Mercyhurst went on to win, 91-87.

Meredith led the way for Genesee with 19 points, Boler added 15, Gray and E.J. Blackwell each finished with 14 points and Terryl Coombs grabbed ten rebounds.

The loss evens Genesee's overall season record to 11-11 and the Cougars are now 2-4 in conference play. They will return to action on Thursday when they travel to Monroe Community College.



A second half scoring drought proved costly for the Genesee Community College women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon, as the Lady Cougars fell on the road at Mercyhurst North East, 83-47.

Genesee began the afternoon with a 10-4 run to start the game. Becky James scored four quick points to spark the hot start, but Mercyhurst responded with an 11-0 run to take the lead. GCC hung around in the first half and trailed by five, 37-32 at the half.

Genesee began the second half by going on a ten-minute scoreless drought. During that time, the Lady Saints went on a 23-0 run to take a 60-32 lead and put the game out of reach.

Dashawna Jenifer led the way for Genesee with 15 points. She also collected 16 rebounds. Nanase Akagami added nine points and James finished with eight points and eight rebounds.

Genesee falls to 1-16 on the year and 0-6 in conference play. They will travel to Monroe Community College on Thursday night for their next contest.

The Genesee Community College men's basketball team put their five-game losing streak behind them with a win on Tuesday night and followed it up with another Western New York Athletic Conference win on Thursday night, defeating visiting Jamestown Community College, 74-70.

Vaughn Boler helped Genesee to a first half lead with 15 points in the opening period. The Cougars shot better than 55% from the floor in the opening twenty-minutes and were 9/10 from the free-throw line. Jamestown hung around with four 3-pt baskets in the opening half, however, and GCC led 43-35 at the break.

(Vaughn Boler (white) scores two of his game-high 32 points in win over Jamestown CC)

Genesee extended their lead to double-digits in the early part of the second half after Boler converted on one of two free-throws and Terryl Coombs added a layup to give the Cougars a 46-35 advantage. The Jayhawks battled back, however, and took their first lead of the game at 63-62 with under eight minutes to play. After a back-and-forth final few minutes, Genesee took the lead back with under a minute to play after a Boler basket. They led 71-70. Coombs added a late free-throw and Boler iced the game with a last second layup to give Genesee the win.

Boler finished with a game-high 32 points. Coombs added 16 points and 12 rebounds, Denzel Thomas and E.J. Blackwell each added eight points. Blackwell also added eight assists.

The win improves Genesee to 11-10 overall on the season and 2-3 in conference play. They will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Mercyhurst North East for a 3pm start.

After falling behind by as many as 20 points, the Genesee Community College women’s basketball team came up just short on Thursday night, falling to visiting Jamestown Community College in one of their best efforts of the year.

The Lady Cougars battled in an even start to the first half. With the game tied 25-25, the GCC offense went cold and the Lady Jayhawks made a 15-0 run to end the half and take a 40-25 lead into the break.

Jamestown continued their run to start the second half and jumped out to a 45-25 lead just two minutes in.

After a Genesee timeout, the Lady Cougars put together a ten-minute stretch that saw them eventually cut the JCC lead down to four at 57-53. That was as close as they would get, however, as Jamestown converted late and time ran out on GCC. A late three-pointer from Dominique Davis got GCC to within five at 67-62, but the Lady Jayhawks held on to win, 68-63.

Dashawna Jenifer led the way for GCC with a game-high 22 points and also a game-high 16 rebounds. Davis added 20 points and Nanase Akagami chipped in 14 points. Jackie Janes grabbed 11 rebounds.

Genesee falls to 1-15 on the year and 0-5 in conference play. They will travel to Mercyhurst North East on Saturday for a 1pm start.

The Genesee Community College men's basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak, which included their first three Western New York Athletic Conference games of the year, by defeating visiting Alfred State College, 76-47 on Tuesday night.

Joe Gray set the tone with a first half double-double, collecting ten rebounds and scoring ten points for Genesee.

The Cougars cashed in five times from three-point range in the opening half and led the entire night.

Vaughn Boler returned from injury to score 15 points on six-of-nine shooting and grab seven rebounds in just over fifteen minutes of work.

The GCC defense stymied the Pioneers to just 24% shooting in the second half and Donte Meredith scored a game-high 18 points,  which included five 3-pt baskets. Genesee ended the night with 12 baskets from long-range.

Gray finished with ten points and 14 rebounds, Malik Brown chipped in 13 points and Terryl Coombs put together another strong effort, scoring nine points and grabbing eight boards.

The win is the tenth (10-10) on the season for GCC and their first in conference (1-3) this year. The Cougars will host Jamestown Community College this Thursday night at 8pm.

The Genesee Community College women's basketball team will have to keep searching for their first conference win of the season after falling to visiting Alfred State College, 81-35 on Tuesday night.

Genesee battled in a close first half that separated the two teams by just ten points. The Lady Cougars jumped out to an early six-point advantage before Alfred State responded at took back the lead for good halfway through the opening period.

Dashawna Jenifer and Nanase Akagami combined to score 14 of GCC's 20 first half points.

In the second half, Genesee was held to just 15 points on 4-of-30 shooting from the field.

Akagami finished the night with 15 points and Jenifer chipped in nine. Sarah Scarborough and Jackie Janes each grabbed eight rebounds in the losing effort.

Genesee falls to 0-4 in conference play and are now 1-14 on the year. They will return to action on Thursday night when they host Jamestown Community College.

The Genesee Community College men's and women's basketball programs are still winless in conference play this season, after falling to Niagara County Community College on the road on Saturday afternoon.

In the women's game, the Lady Cougars overcame an early eight-point hole to take a lead late in the first half. A Dominique Davis three-point basket gave Genesee a 17-15 lead with a little over five minutes remaining in the opening period. The Lady Thunderwolves responded and closed the half on a 7-3 run and took back the lead for good, leading 22-20 at the break.

In the second half, Niagara held Genesee to just eight field goals and outscored the visitors, 35-18, ending the afternoon with a 57-38 win.

Davis converted on two of her six three-point attempts in the game and led GCC in scoring with 12 points. Paige Hennings chipped in ten points and Dashawna Jenifer added six points and seven rebounds.

Genesee falls to 0-3 in conference play and are now 1-13 on the year. They will return home and host Alfred State on Tuesday night at 6pm.

In the men's game, Genesee held only one lead throughout the afternoon. E.J. Blackwell hit a first-possession three-pointer for the Cougars, who went up 3-0 just fifteen-seconds into the contest. The Thunderwolves quickly responded and took a 5-3 lead just two minutes later and did not look back.

Niagara out-rebounded Genesee 27-14 in the opening half and took advantage with ten second-chance points. They led 41-28 at halftime.

The Thunderwolves held the Cougars to under 22% shooting from the field in the second half and did not see their lead drop below ten. Their largest advantage came in the closing seconds when they took a 86-58 lead, which proved to be the final.

Despite their scoring troubles, Genesee saw three scorers reach double-figures. Terryl Coombs led the way with 15 points, Donte Meredith added 13 points and Joe Gray chipped in 12 points. Blackwell finished with seven points and also grabbed eight rebounds.

Genesee is now 0-3 in conference play and 9-10 overall on the season. They will host Alfred State on Tuesday night at 8pm.

Riding a three-game losing skid, the Genesee Community College men's basketball schedule did not get any easier on Tuesday night. The Monroe Community College Tribunes, the second-ranked team in the NJCAA Division II, came to town sporting a 14-2 record and proved why they are off to such a fast start this season.

MCC began the night on an 8-0 run and built a twenty-five point lead behind John Velez-Rivera's five first half three-pointers. He was a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc in the opening half.

The Cougars were within four about ten minutes into the game before a Velez-Rivera layup sparked a 16-4 run to give the Tribunes control. MCC converted on ten first half three-pointers and led 54-29 at the break.

The second half was more of the same as Monroe cashed in five more times from long-range, upping their lead into the 40's for the later part of the game. The Tribunes would cruise to a 106-58 win.

E.J. Blackwell scored 18 points in the losing effort for GCC and Terryl Coombs added 16 points and nine rebounds.

Velez-Rivera finished with 23 points for MCC.

Genesee now drops to 0-2 in the conference and are 9-9 on the season. They will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Niagara County Community College for a 3pm start.

The Genesee Community College women's basketball team fell to conference rival and Division I opponent Monroe Community College on Tuesday night, 88-27.

Paige Hennings scored eleven points and also grabbed nine rebounds for GCC, but turnovers were once again an issue with the Lady Cougars. Monroe forced 31 turnovers on the night and capitalized with 49 points off of takeaways.

GCC was held to just nine points in the second half.

(#15 Dashawna Jenifer tries to work by an MCC defender)

Dashawna Jenifer chipped in nine points for Genesee, who falls to 0-2 in conference play and 1-12 on the season.

The Lady Cougars will return to conference action on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Niagara County Community College for a 1pm start.

Saturday:

The Genesee Community College men's basketball team blew a 16-point second half lead, but came back to defeat visiting Community College of Rhode Island on Saturday night, 90-89 in overtime.

The Cougars held a 59-43 lead with fifteen minutes to play in the second half before CCRI went on a 32-15 run to take a 75-74 lead with three minutes left. Malik Brown then gave Genesee a 79-77 lead with a basket and a converted free-throw after a foul, but with 19 seconds left, Isaac Medeiros tied the game at 79 and sent it into an extra session.

In overtime, CCRI jumped out early but GCC reclaimed the lead on an EJ Blackwell three-pointer. Tied at 88 a piece with under a minute to go after a Donte Meredith three-pointer, the Knights grabbed a one-point advantage at the free-throw line, taking an 89-88 lead. The Cougars were able to tie the game at 89 on a Meredith free-throw, and with under one-second to play, Stanley Peacock gave Genesee a 90-89 lead after making one of two free-throws. A last second heave for CCRI went begging, and GCC escaped with the win.

(Stanley Peacock hits the game-winning free throw for GCC on Saturday night)

Blackwell finished the night with 20 points and nine assists, Meredith added 18 points, Vaughn Boler chipped in 15 points, Brown ended with 14 points and Terryl Coombs grabbed ten rebounds and added seven points.

The win improves Genesee to 6-4 on the season and the Cougars will take on ASA College tomorrow at 5pm in the final game of the Cougar Holiday Classic Tournament.

The Genesee Community College women's basketball team fell to ASA College on Saturday afternoon, in their first matchup of the Cougar Holiday Classic Tournament.

Dashawna Jenifer was the only Lady Cougar to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 11 points and adding six rebounds.

Genesee trailed by ten at the break, 35-25. ASA held GCC to just 14 second half points and cruised to an 81-39 victory.

Paige Hennings finished with seven points and seven rebounds, Nanase Akagami added six points and Dominique Davis chipped in five points.

The loss drops Genesee to 0-7 on the season and the Lady Cougars will take on the Community College of Rhode Island tomorrow at 11am in their final game of the Cougar Holiday Classic Tournament.

Sunday:

Coming off of an overtime win against the Community College of Rhode Island last night, the Genesee Community College men’s basketball team again went to the final possession against ASA College on Sunday in the Cougar Holiday Classic, but this time came out on the losing end.

Vaugn Boler scored 18 first half points but the Cougars trailed by ten, 46-36 at the break.

GCC trailed by as many as 13 in the second half, but the Cougars battled and Donte Meredith sparked an 8-3 run with a three-pointer to get Genesee to within five at 61-56 with about ten minutes remaining.

GCC hung around and got to within one at 68-67 after a layup and free throw from E.J. Blackwell with five minutes left. The Cougars then took their first lead since the early part of the first half after Boler converted two free throws to put Genesee on top 71-70. Blackwell extended the lead to three with a jumper seconds later, but ASA answered with a three pointer to tie the game at 73.

Genesee had a 77-75 lead after two Denzel Thomas free throws, but the Avengers went on a 7-2 run in the final minute and a half and held an 82-79 lead with under ten seconds left.

The Cougars had one last chance coming out of a timeout, but could not find a look and fell to the visiting Avengers, 82-79.

(#11 Vaughn Boler scores two of his game-high 37 points in Sunday's loss to ASA)

Boler finished with a game-high and career-high 37 points. He also grabbed ten rebounds. Meredith tallied 16 points and was three of five from three-point range and Blackwell added 13 points.

The loss drops Genesee to 6-5 on the year and the Cougars will close out the first part of their season next Saturday, December 15th at home against St. John Fisher JV at 1pm.

The Genesee Community College women's basketball team fell to 0-8 on the season after falling to the Community College of Rhode Island, 105-47 on Sunday.

The Lady Knights took an early lead and did not trail in the game.

Nanase Akagami led the way for Genesee with 15 points and went four-of-seven from three-point range. Becky James added 11 points and Paige Hennings chipped in six points and also grabbed ten rebounds.

Genesee will not return to action until after the winter break when they travel to Cayuga Community College on January 4th.