Commodore Men Fall To Miami Hamilton In Season Opener

November 1, 2024 - - The Lorain County Community College men's basketball played even with the Miami University-Hamilton in the first half but couldn't sustain the momentum as they fell 78-62 in the season opener.

LCCC used a 12-0 run which was capped by a Dennis Pettis Jr. lay up in the final minute of the first half to briefly take the lead 29-28.  Miami recouped and secured a 32-29 lead before halftime.

The Commodores went cold in the first five minutes of the second half until last year's leading scorer Deonte Benejan drained a jumper to end the drought.  Benejan played limited minutes in the first half after injuring himself going up for a layup with just over nine minutes to play.

Despite the slow second half start, the Commodores battled back and tied the game up at 45-45 after a Benejan free throw with 9:38 left to play.

After that, it was all Miami as they built a nine-point lead, and kept the Commodores at bay to take the season opener in front a packed house inside the Ewing Activities Center Gymnasium.

Top Commodores

Dennis Pettis Jr. (Lorain, Ohio/Lorain HS): 18 pts (6-for-11 shooting), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals

Deonte Benejan (Queens, New York/Lorain HS): 16 pts, 4 assists

Next Up:

The Commodores will take on Marian University-Ancilla College in day 2 of the 5^th Annual Commodore Classic with the tip coming at 4 p.m. inside the Ewing Activities Center Gymnasium.  General admission is $5 and Children 10 and under get in free.