By Elliott Bell
Sophomore guard Carlos Rivera and the Pride men's basketball team (3-0, 0-0) enjoyed a buzzer-beating victory over the Columbia University Lions last season. After Wednesday night's postponement the Lions will have to wait until February for their revenge.
Wednesday's 7 p.m. men's basketball game against Columbia University was cancelled 15 minutes before the scheduled tip-off. After having warmed up for 15 minutes, the Pride players were informed that due to weather and extreme traffic conditions it would be impossible for Columbia to arrive for the scheduled start. The game has been reschedule to begin at 7 p.m. on Feb. 14, 2005.
The Pride's next game will mark the beginning of the team's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) schedule. The Pride will travel to Harrisburg, VA, to square off against the Dukes of James Madison University.
The Dukes (2-1, 0-0) suffered their first loss of the season against Appalachian State University this past Monday.
Senior Daniel Freeman and sophomore Ray Barbosa have established themselves as the Dukes top scorers; however, the duo may have a difficult time dealing with the Pride's depth in the backcourt.
Most of you probably don't realize it, but the men's basketball season is underway and already things look good. Considering the first home game of the season took place the night before Thanksgiving when most students had already abandoned the campus, there wasn't much support as the team crushed visiting LaSalle University. Since then the team took care of Binghamton University and improved its record to 3-0. Here's what you might have missed.
Freshman guard Antione Aguido is hogging all the Colonial Athletic Association freshman honors as he won the freshman of the week award for the second consecutive week. His 18.3 points per game have been a major reason for the early season success of the Pride. Throw in his conference leading 12 three pointers and he is quickly becoming a major weapon.
If you check the Mid-Major Top 25 poll conducted by popular college basketball web site CollegeInsider.com you will find the Pride sitting at No. 21. Along with Old Dominion they are the only two teams from the CAA to make the top 25. The well known Zags of Gonzaga are currently top-seeded.
Sophomore Loren Stokes keeps lighting up the scoreboard. He went for 21 points on 8-12 shooting against LaSalle, and followed that up by dropping 18 on Binghamton. He has now scored in double digits in 18 straight games and 23 of 24 since becoming a starter midway through last season.
The three-pointer, arguably part of the downfall of basketball, has been the catalyst for the Pride's success. The Pride is averaging 10 made three-pointers a game and shooting a CAA best 40 percent from beyond the arc. Another major factor for the Pride has been its ability to avoid costly turnovers. Last year the team averaged about 16 a game. This year that number is down to 11.
Don't miss out. Seriously, there can't be enough publicity for the St. John's game. This should be huge, and the more student support, the better it will be. The game is Saturday, Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. Student tickets are only $4.