Men's Basketball Rolls To Victory Over Cecil College, 89-67

Frederick, Md. - After coming off of a tough and competitive weekend, the Frederick Community College men's basketball team returned to action Wednesday night to face an undefeated (4-0) Cecil College. Fans were in for quite a treat for this stellar early season matchup as both the Seahawks and Cougars qualified last season for the NJCAA DII National Tournament. FCC turned in a solid performance and defeated Cecil College, 89-67.

The Cougars were up to the challenge on this particular evening. After having a difficult time finding high-quality shots and putting the ball in the basket at a high percentage in the first four games of the season, the Cougars used stingy defense fast-break baskets to start the game on an 18-4 run. From there, FCC was able to continue to force turnovers and missed shots to get out on the break for many easy opportunities and great looks. The Cougars would not let up as they continued to build their lead through defense and execution while holding the Seahawks of Cecil College to under 10 points for the 10 minutes in the first half. FCC used a balanced attack and rode the effort and energy of sophomore Stacy Gipson contributed 10 points and nine rebounds in the first half of play, including a monstrous follow up dunk off of a missed layup. With the great defense and ability to get out on fast breaks, the FCC built a 22 point first half lead taking a 47-25 lead into intermission. In the first half, the Cougars shot 17-of-32 (53%) including 5-9 from beyond the arc. Freshman Rashad Woodyard contributed six points and four rebounds off the bench in the first half for a strong breakout performance.

Out of the locker room heading into the seocnd half, FCC knew Cecil would make a run and not go away quiet. The Seahawks came out of the locker room and strung together their own 11-4 run and got the game within 15 points. However, on this night, the Cougars were able to maintain their composure and continue to do the positive things that led to a strong dominating first half performance. The Cougars answered Cecil's challenge by going on an 11-2 run of their own. An ESPN SportsCenter worthy fast-break featured sophomore Anthony Isaac finding sophomore Tyree Gathright for a monstrous one-handed slam that energized the FCC fans and bench. Not too long after Gathright's spectacular play, freshman Cyree Dunnell came up with a huge block shot on the defense end and made a magnificent full-court outlet pass to freshman Keon Claiborne for another Cougar transition basket. The Cougars inflated their lead to 25 and refused to allow any further Seahawk's scoring runs.

For the game, the Cougars displayed the talent and cohesion needed to make a deep run this season. Frederick shot 30-of-64 (47%) from the field and assisted on half of their made field goals. FCC's offense was led by Tyree Gathright's 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists while sharpshooter Josiah Jones netted 12 points. FCC's big man in the middle, Stacy Gipson added another double-double to the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.  Anthony Isaac and Rashad Woodyard each added six rebounds. Sophomore's Keith Claiborne and Nygel Blake added four assists and two steals apiece to round out the stat column.