BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Pratt Institute men's basketball team shot a season-high 61 percent and flirted with the century mark in a 96-81 Atlantic East Conference victory over Marywood University on Saturday afternoon at the Activity Resource Center.
With the victory, Pratt (2-19, 2-7) splits the season series with Marywood (11-12, 3-7) winning their second straight to move into sixth place in the league standings – a half a game behind Marywood sitting in the final playoff position in fifth.
Cameron Windt led all scorers with 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 4-for-4 from three-point land, also grabbing five boards and swiping three steals. Mekhi Davis added 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting with two triples and securing a game-high eight rebounds, with three assists and two steals.
Quinn McCormick reached double figures in scoring for the first time in his career, connecting on 7-of-9 for 14 points with seven boards and a block. Sebastian Roda reached double figures for the second straight game with a season-high 13, paired with two rebounds and three assists. Hursh Mehta added 10 points to round out the five in double figures.
Lucas Zamboni chipped in nine points while dishing out six assists. Thomas Graetz also handed out six assists and grabbed seven rebounds while netting six points.
Pratt blitzed the Pacers from the opening tip racing out to 14-0 lead, shooting 5-for-6 and forcing three turnovers over the first three minutes. Marywood briefly brought the lead back to single digits on two occasions before a 20-2 run by the Cannoneers ballooned the lead to its largest at 27 and Pratt carried a 58-38 cushion into the lockers.
Davis and Windt combined for 32 points in the opening 20 minutes as Pratt shot 65 percent (22-34) in the half with eight three pointers. Their 58 points nearly matched their season game average of 59.8 heading into the contest.
Pratt maintained a 20-point-plus separation for much of the second stanza as they shot 56 precent in the period and never let Marywood gain any sustained momentum. Pratt's 61-percent connect rate for the game was the highest on record dating back to the 2012-13 season.
Michel Loftin led Marywood with 18 points, Brandon Reed added 12 and Brendan Franko rounded out three Pacers in double figures with 11.
Pratt now heads on the road for its final three games of the regular season. The Cannoneers head to Immaculata University on Wednesday, February 12 for a 7 p.m. showdown looking to win three straight.
