Morris-Gray Scores 25 in Men's Basketball Loss at Thomas College

WATERVILLE, Maine – The MCLA Men's Basketball team concluded the Charlie Ryan Classic hosted by Thomas College at the Larry Mahaney Gymnasium this afternoon. Hayden Morris-Gray scored a career-high 25 points for the Trailblazers, but Thomas College had four players with double-digit points to take the game 84-67

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, November 16, 2024
• Score: MCLA 67, Thomas 84
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 0-4 (MASCAC 0-0) | Thomas College Terriers 2-2 (NAC 0-0)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first half started as a defensive struggle, with neither team crossing the double-digit marker until sophomore guard Hayden Morris-Gray (Port Jefferson Station, NY) knocked down a three with just under six minutes off the clock, putting the Trailblazers up 10-9. Thomas responded with a 15-4 run that was capped with a pair of foul shots from Camryn Yorke and gave the hosts a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
• With the Terriers leading 43-31 at the intermission, MCLA came out hot, starting the half with a 13-4 run and cutting the lead to five points when Morris-Gray knocked down the first of two foul shots with 17 minutes remaining.
• The teams mostly traded baskets for the next 12 minutes until junior guard Craig Williams' (Dover, DE) layup with 5:50 to go made the score 70-64, but it would be as close as the Trailblazers would get. Following the layup, the Terriers finished the game with a 14-3 run to pull away.
• Morris-Gray had a career-high 25 points, surpassing the 22 points he scored against Framingham State on January 17^th. Junior forward Jayden Mills (Bronx, NY) had a team-high nine rebounds for MCLA.
• A 27-point, ten-rebound double-double from Parker Desjardins led Thomas. A trio of other Terriers joined Desjardins in the double-digit scorers' club, getting 12 points from Camryn Yorke and 11 points from both Jackson Ruelke and Luke Briggs.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: MCLA 20-62 / 32.3%, Thomas 28-62 / 45.2%
• 3 Points / %: MCLA 8-31 / 25.8%, Thomas 5-22 / 22.7%
• Free Throw / %: MCLA 19-31 / 61.3%, Thomas 23-32 / 71.9%
• Rebounds: MCLA 40, Thomas 44
• Points off Turnovers: MCLA 5, Thomas 20
• Second Chance Points: MCLA 7, Thomas 10
• Points in the Paint: MCLA 24, Thomas 44
• Bench Points: MCLA 21, Thomas 16

UP NEXT:

On Tuesday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Norwich University for a non-conference matchup with the Cadets in the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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