Men's Basketball Falls Short In Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (1/3/07) - Springfield College used to early runs to begin each half as the Pride defeated Kean University, 76-73, this evening in the men's championship game of the Classic.

The Cougars were led by senior forward Brett Wyatt (Elizabeth, N.J.) who had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals. For his efforts, Wyatt was named to the All-Tournament Team along with senior guard Bryan Keller (Piscataway, N.J.) who netted 11 points for Kean University

Springfield opened the championship game on an 18-9 run to take a nine point lead with 10:51 remaining before halftime. The Pride would then extend its lead to 38-26 at the break. Wyatt led all Cougars with six points and four rebounds heading into the locker room.

The Pride opened the second stanza much like it did the first, going on a 12-7 run to lead by 17 points (50-33) with 14:52 remaining in regulation. The Cougars would not go down without a fight, however, crawling back to within six points (70-64) with just 2:14 left to play. The Pride would eventually hang on to win by just three, as Kean junior guard William Floyd's (Eustis, Fla.) three-point shot fell short at the buzzer.

Kean continues it's road trip and will take on King's College (Pa.) on Saturday at 7 p.m.