MIDDLESEX COLLEGE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL EACH GO 2-0 AT INAUGURAL SHANNON WILLIAMS INVITATIONAL

The Middlesex College Men's and Women's Basketball teams enjoyed a successful weekend as the host school for the inaugural Shannon Williams Invitational. The Colts men's and women's teams each went 2-0 in decisive victories on Saturday and Sunday.

The women defeated Anne Arundel 84-51 and SUNY Orange 74-34 while the men beat LaGuardia CC 95-54 and Anne Arundel 68-45. The women are now 3-2 on the season while the men remain perfect at 6-0.

The Shannon Williams Invitational was established this year to honor Shannon Williams, the longtime beloved Equipment Aide who passed away in 2022. A short ceremony to honor Shannon was held before the first Middlesex women's game with his niece and uncle in attendance. The Colts were joined by Shannon's daughter Shanna as well. It was noted that Shannon was hired at Middlesex College in 1987 at 21 years old, fresh out of a stint in the US Navy. He worked at Middlesex for 36 years.

The invitational jammed seven games into two days and also featured games with Raritan Valley CC and Monroe (Bronx).

Joey Bundtz Pizza was the sponsor for the weekend.

The Middlesex College Women faced Anne Arundel in the third game on Saturday and erupted for 26 points in the first quarter to take a commanding early advantage. The Colts carried a 36-23 lead into the half and put the game away with 31 points in the third quarter. It was their highest scoring quarter this season. Each team scored 17 points in the fourth and Middlesex cruised to an 84-51 win.

Kezia Feaster (Sophomore/Elizabeth, NJ) scored a game-high 23 and Yasmen Zafar (Sophomore/North Plainfield, NJ) added 22 off the bench. Angelina Peralta-Almonte (Sophomore/Plainfield, NJ) had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Against SUNY Orange, the women played a great all-around game, excelling on offense and defense. After a first quarter that ended 10-10, the Colts ran away from SUNY Orange, outscoring them 64-24 the rest of the way.

Alyssa Rice (Freshman/Piscataway, NJ) was the Colts leading scorer with a career-high 18 points. Feaster scored 17, including 3-3 from three-point range. Amya Green (Sophomore/Woodbridge, NJ) registered a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. She added two blocks as well.

The Middlesex men were equally successful and stayed unbeaten on the year.

Their first game was against LaGuardia and the Colts were in control from the opening tip. Middlesex carried a 46-27 lead into the half and outscored LaGuardia by 22 points in the second half on the way to a 95-54 win.

The Colts used a deep bench as 13 players saw action in the game. Tristin Harcourt (Sophomore/Newark, NJ) and Alfeny Javier Concepcion (Sophomore/Perth Amboy, NJ) both had double-doubles for the Colts. Harcourt scored a team-high 14 points and had 10 rebounds while Concepcion had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lorenzo Perez (Sophomore/Perth Amboy, NJ) dished out nine assists to pace the Colts.

On Sunday, Middlesex had their lowest scoring game of the season, but paired it with their best defensive effort in years as they took down Anne Arundel 68-45. It was the first time since a 55-49 win over Harrisburg Area CC on December 15, 2018 that the Colts held an opponent under 50 points in game.

Concepcion had another fantastic game off the bench, scoring 20 points on 9-10 shooting. He grabbed nine rebounds as well. Sean Williams (Sophomore/Old Bridge, NJ) added 18 points and six assists and Perez once again led all Colts with eight assists.

The Middlesex men return to action with a big early season showdown against County College of Morris, who is currently ranked #21 in the country in the latest NJCAA Division II National Poll. Tipoff is set for 7:00PM at Morris.

The Middlesex women's team returns to the court on Thursday when they take on Union County College, currently the #5 team in the latest NJCAA Division II National Poll. Tipoff is set for 5:00PM.