Colts Win Home Opener 86-60 against West Conn JV

On Tuesday November 5th the SUNY Orange Colts hosted their home opener against the Wolves of Western Connecticut JV. The Colts are coming off a tremendous season finishing with a 24-6 record and finished as the Region XV Champions and with just 5 returning players they will count on those athletes to lead their young team to victory.  

For the Colts So. Mat Shea kicked things off taking the jump ball to officially start the 2024-25 season and after losing the tip the Colts were able to gain their first possession of the game coming from a Daniel Lans steal which was soon followed up by a Mat Shea layup through multiple defenders to score the first points of the 2024-25 season.  The recipe to the Colts success over the years has been their relentless and overwhelming pressure which causes teams to throw inaccurate passes and force loose balls to get quick baskets on the other end.  The Colts went out to a hot start in the game against West Conn out scoring their opponent 20-2 after just 5 minutes of play in the first half of the game but were unable to hold their hot start as the Wolves out scored the Colts 30-22 to cut their lead down to 12 with a score of 44-32 after the first 20 minutes of play.

After the first half of play both teams faced a lot of foul trouble causing a lot of unforced points. The Colts had a consistent first and second half scoring 44 points in the first half and 42 in the second. With a final score of 86-60 the Colts start their third consecutive season 1-0 record, in this game all of the Colt athletes saw time on the court many making their first appearance in a Colt uniform. Last nights victory over the Wolves was a full team effort as 6 athletes finished with 20+ minutes of play and 5 of the 5 starters recorded 10+ points, as a team the Colts recorded 38 field goals made on 67 attempts for a 56.7% shooting percentage while shooting 5-15 from the 3-point line for a 33.3% shooting percentage starting the year off on a good note.

So. Jabari Phillip had an amazing game in his first game in a Colts uniform. Finishing the game with the teams first double double of the year. Phillip recorded 16 points shooting 8/12 (66%) from the field, led the team in total rebounds and also offensive and defensive rebounds finishing with 5 offensive and 8 defensive rebounds for a total of 13 rebounds. Phillip also finished the game with one assist, one steal and one block.

Fr. Kassius Paulin is another new face in the Colts starting lineup who finished with a tremendous stat-line. Leading the team in 3-pointers attempted and made and also led the team in blocks protecting the paint when it matters most. Paulin finished the game with 14 points on 5/10 (50%) from the field and 3/5 from behind the 3-point line. Paulin also added four rebounds, one assist, three steals and three blocks. 

So. Daniel Lans finished as the teams third highest score and also led the team in assists and steals showing he can do it on both ends of the court. Lans finished with 13 points on 6-8 shooting from the field for a 75% percentage. Lans was able to distribute the ball well aside from his great shooting performance finishing with seven assists being responsible for almost half of the teams assists and in what was a great team defensive performance Lans finished with 6/15 steals that the Colts recorded as a team. 

They will look to continue their success facing off against the Vikings of Hudson Valley on Thursday November 7th for a 7:00 start. This is the second game in a row in which the Colts will be the home team.