By JOSH VESHIA
Staff Writer
—
The College of Saint Rose men’s basketball team took to the home court for the first time this season for the fifth annual Northeast-10 Challenge. The team matched up against CACC’s Wilmington on Saturday and against Bloomfield on Sunday, both ending in victory and giving the team a 2-0 start to the season.
Saturday’s victory against Wilmington came with 20 points from local freshman forward Jalaun Taylor. Taylor sat out last year, leaving fans to wonder how he would showcase his basketball skillset in the 2014 season. The Golden Knights also earned 16 points from another freshman forward, Jack Jones, who went a perfect 6 for 6 from the free throw line. A late run kept off the Wildcats and earned Saint Rose their first win of the season.
Sunday’s matchup against Bloomsfield started with a red-hot Taylor and solid play from junior guard Chris Dorgler. His veteran leadership was shown through great work on the boards and a stifling defense against the quick shooters the Bears brought to play.
He also led the Golden Knights with six assists, further proving his importance to the team. Jones shot well from deep, when Taylor cooled off and finished the game with a team-high of 18 points. Junior guard Max Weaver contributed 15 points and added two steals.
The young group was able to spread the floor and knock down open looks, a game plan that seems to be the way for this year’s Golden Knights team. With so much youth down low, the post-game looks to be in need of improvement. Once that is accomplished, Saint Rose looks like a team ready to surprise a lot of people in the NE-10.
The Golden Knights open their conference play for the season on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Pace.
