MADISON, N.J. — In the semifinal of the Rose City Classic, the Pratt Institute men's basketball team hung tough with Faireigh Dickinson University-Florham before the hosts pulled away in the final 10 minutes to hand the Cannoneers a 77-61 defeat on Friday evening.
Cameron Windt led Pratt (2-2) with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with five rebounds. Patrick O'Gorman flirted with his second double-double of the season netting 13 points while grabbing a team-high nine boards, dishing out three assists and swiping two steals. Jaden Young chipped in 10 points off the bench with two caroms to round out three Cannoneers scoring in double figures.
A back-and-forth first half saw 10 ties and nine lead changes and neither squad able to separate by more than two possessions. FDU (2-3) built a five-point lead on two occasions and as late as the 4:14 mark before Pratt closed out the half on an 8-2 run to carry a 36-35 lead into the lockers.
The Cannoneers led by three early in the second before an 11-2 Devils run built a six-point separation — the largest of the game for either squad — with just under 13 minutes to play. Windt and O'Gorman would power a 6-0 spurt to knot the game at 50-all but FDU pulled away for good with a 17-3 outburst and maintained their double-digit lead the rest of the way.
After shooting 46 percent in the opening period, Pratt only managed to connect on 28 percent in the second stanza. The Cannoneers were also plagued by a 19-11 turnover disparity that led to an FDU 25-7 edge in scoring off turnovers.
Christopher Smith led all scorers and four for FDU in double-figures with 20 points. FDU advances to the championship game and faces Rose City rival Drew University.
Pratt meets NYC foe John Jay College in the consolation game tomorrow at 4 p.m. Day two of the Rose City Classic will be played at Drew.
