Hocking Slips Past Men's Basketball

ARNOLD, MD – The Anne Arundel Community College men's basketball team battled with visiting Hocking College Thursday evening at Jenkins Gym, falling late to the Hawks, 89-84. Five Riverhawks scored in double digits in the game, led by 15 from starter Davon Jones and reserve Michael Sullivan.

Jones went 3-for-5 from three-point range and added four rebounds and five assists, while Sullivan sank three of eight from long range and added a pair of defensive rebounds. Jamar Young recorded 14 points and five rebounds in just 18 minutes on the floor. Joseph Chase scored 12 points to go with eight rebounds and a team-high five assists. Keith Wyatt, Jr., joined them in double-digit scoring with 11 points and nine rebounds (eight defensive). 

The game featured seven ties and 11 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than nine points at any time. Wild swings in the first half saw AACC come back from nine points down to tie it and take a lead on a pair of Jones free throws at the midpoint. This sparked AACC to go ahead by seven on a 13-5 run that included a pair of three-pointers from Sullivan. Overall in the first half, AACC hit nine three-pointers.

Hocking tied the game back up with under three minutes in the first on a pair of free throws. The Hawks sank 10 of 11 attempts from the charity stripe in the half. Matthew Kern responded with a pair from the line to give AACC back the lead, but a late three-pointer from the Hawks sent the visitors into the locker room with a one-point lead, 42-41.

The teams traded the lead three times before AACC went up by five with 13:19 left to play. All of AACC's points in the spree came in the paint. The Riverhawks held onto the lead, using a Chase three-point bucket to regain a five-point margin at the midway point of the second half. Hocking responded with tough play down low to tie it at 63-63 with 8:34 left. After two more lead changes, Hocking held onto it for good.

Hocking outscored AACC, 40-18, in the paint, and put in 22 second-chance points to AACC's 11. The AACC bench scored 31 points to Hocking's 32.

The game closes out 2019 for AACC, which will enter 2020 with a 4-8 record when they host CCBC Dundalk Saturday, January 4^th at 5 pm.