NEW YORK, N.Y. – Keystone men's basketball grabbed win No. 1 with an 84-81 road-victory at John Jay College Sunday afternoon to complete the Giants' weekend-opening non-conference slate.
The Giants stepped out to an early nine-point advantage and built up to as large of a lead as 54-40 early in the second half.
The Bloodhounds rallied back and made it a one-point affair with just 16 seconds left, but John Jay failed to hit the equalizing free throw as Keystone's Gary Brown (Pennsauken, N.J./Camden Catholic) then sank two shots from the charity stripe to re-extend the lead.
John Jay hurled up two shots on its final possession but came up empty as Keystone came away with the first win of the 2021-22 campaign.
Standout Performers
- Freshman Jack Anderson (Davie, Fla./Western High) had another double-digit scoring outing in just his second-career game, shooting 11-15 from the field for 28 points. He was 4 for 5 from beyond the arc while going 2 for 2 at the free-throw line and also had zero turnovers.
- Fellow freshman Pete Laidley (Miramar, Fla./Pembrokes Pine Charter) put in 15 points with four rebounds, a steal and a block.
- Gary Brown (Pennsauken, N.J./Camden Catholic) also finished with double-digit figures with perfect shooting percentages, going 4 for 4 from the field and 5 for 5 at the charity stripe, including the final two to seal the win.
Inside The Box Score
- Keystone got 17 points off the bench, an improvement from the eight they had in the season opener.
- The Giants outscored the Bloodhounds, 45-36, in the first half but were outscored, 45-39, in the second half.
- After holding early Keystone-leads of nine points at 15-6, 17-8, 19-10 and 21-12, John Jay held a brief advantage at 26-25 before the Giants re-gained the lead for good.
- Jack Anderson (Davie, Fla./Western High) played all 40 minutes of game time.
What's Next
- Keystone (1-1) will have its home opener Wednesday, Nov. 10 in a non-conference matchup against Western Connecticut State (1-1) of the Little East Conference. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Gambal Athletic Center.
- John Jay (0-2) will face off with future Keystone-opponent Marywood University.
