BROOKLYN -- The Cannoneers earned a 44-25 rebounding edge over visiting Landmark College in Pratt's 69-56 win over the Sharks Friday night in non-conference men's basketball play at the Pratt ARC.
Sophomore Ari Grant led all players with 27 points and 14 rebounds for Pratt, which snapped a three-game slide and improved to 3-4 on the season. Fellow forwards Nicholas Lensander and Aaron Nininger added nine and eight boards, respectively, and Pratt came from behind with a 10-1 run to close out the first half with a 29-27 lead.
Landmark's Shamar Brooks put the Sharks on top 21-13 with a layup just outside the 6:00 mark, and one of Forest Ferguson's four three-pointers put the visitors ahead 26-19 with 2:46 to play in the frame. The Cannoneers responded swiftly, as Grant jumpers bookeded a 10-1 run over the final 2:20 of the first, and the sophomore's jumper snapped a 27-27 tie in the waning seconds of the period, swinging Pratt on top 29-27.
Senior Sam Peterson's layup extended the lead to four out of the intermission, and Landmark countered often early in the second but could never so much as tie, with Pratt answering every call. The Sharks pulled to within one at 35-34 on another Ferguson triple before a Lensander layup at the 16:11 mark sparked a 9-0 run, after which the game was never in doubt. Five straight Grant points extended the margin to 44-34 as Pratt's leading scorer from a year ago notched 17 of his 27 points in the second half in improving Pratt to 3-4.
Peterson added a season-high 20 points on 9-13 shooting from the floor, including three lay-ins on backdoor feeds from Grant, who led all players with five assists. Freshman Mehmet Dognata rounded out a trio of Cannoneers in double figures with 12 points on 4-6 shooting, and Pratt converted a season-best 50 percent from the floor on 25-50 shooting.
Landmark, which shot 42 percent (21-50), was led by Ferguson's 16 points on a 4-11 effort from long-range, including a pair of treys from well beyond the arc, to go with a game-high four steals. Brooks added 14 points on 5-7 shooting and a team-best seven rebounds, and Johno Bach chipped in with 10 points, four assists and zero turnovers.
Pratt returns to play Saturday afternoon at Cooper Union at 3:00 p.m.
