Peter Kazickas '15 posted his first double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead Hamilton College to a 53-48 win over Elmira College in a non-conference game at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Jan. 31.
Kazickas was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor and 6-for-6 at the line. His 16 points and 11 rebounds were both season highs. Greg Newton '14 scored a team-high 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting, and handed out four assists. Pat Sullivan '12 did not play due to injury.
Josh Keys '14 drained seven 3-pointers and led the Soaring Eagles with a game-high 29 points. Eric Klinedinst '12 pulled down 11 boards and dished out a game-high six assists. Chris Cassidy '14 grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots. Elmira remained winless this season as its record dipped to 0-20.
Hamilton (12-8 overall) led 4-2 after Kazickas converted a layup with 17:37 to play in the first half. But a jumper by Dan O'Brien '14 sparked an 11-0 Elmira run that gave the Soaring Eagles a 13-4 lead with 10:47 left in the half.
Keys drained a 3-pointer to give Elmira its largest lead of the night at 22-10 with 6:18 remaining in the half. A jumper by Newton with 1:10 to go in the half shaved the Continentals' deficit to four points at 25-21. But Keys sank another 3-pointer just four seconds before the break to give the Soaring Eagles a 28-21 halftime cushion. Keys finished the half with 16 points.
Elmira stretched its lead to 33-25 with 17:51 left on another Keys 3-pointer. But Hamilton responded with a 20-2 run over the next 7 minutes, 24 seconds to take a 45-35 lead with 10:27 remaining. Newton scored 10 points during the spurt, and capped it with a pair of free throws. Matt Dean '14 scored all six of his points during the run.
A jumper by O'Brien with 53 seconds to play pulled the Soaring Eagles to within 52-48, but that was as close as Elmira would get the rest of the way. The Soaring Eagles shot just 28.6 percent from the floor during the final 20 minutes.
The Continentals committed just seven turnovers to Elmira's 15. The Soaring Eagles shot 7-for-15 (46.7 percent) at the line. The win snaps a four-game losing streak for Hamilton, and the Continentals have won five in a row against Elmira.
Hamilton travels to Connecticut College for a NESCAC game on Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m.
