In a Saturday matinee at College Park, the Dons boys’ basketball team shook off a slow start to take down the Falcons 74-47.

It looked early like the Falcons might control the tempo, as they held the Dons to just 2 points in the first four minutes and took an early five-point lead. A steal at mid-court by senior Scott Ruegg, who finished the transition layup and free throw after being fouled, sparked the Dons, who took the lead moments later on a three-point basket by freshman Marcus Robinson. At the end of the first quarter the Dons held an 11-8 lead.

The second and third quarters each saw the Dons transition game flourish, with eight steals by the Dons (including four more by Ruegg and two by Senior Graham Smith) leading to fast break layups. Leading the layup brigade was Senior Derek Kotarba, who finished with a career-high 22 points. Senior Jackson Aris-Dumas had a hand in the action as well, flustering the Falcons with his on-ball defense and punctuating the effort with a three-point play the old-fashioned way (fouled plus continuation finish and free throw made). The defensive effort saw the Dons lead grow to 30-16 at halftime, and 58-25 at the end of the third.

With the game in hand, the Dons continued to compete in the fourth quarter, with Sophomore Tyler Murphy dominating inside and knocking down shots to bring his game total to 10 points. Ruegg also hit a milestone in the quarter, knocking down a three-point shot to bring his varsity career point total to 1000. With Kotarba, he also paced the Dons with 22 points. Robinson contributed eight points, and sophomore Jake Davis again led the way in rebounding, with nine.