Link to ECAC Upstate Tournament Page

Troy, NY--- The Sage Colleges men's basketball team has earned the program's first post-season bid in its second season as an NCAA Division III team. The Gators were selected as one of the four teams to compete in the 2011 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Upstate Tournament. The tournament will be held on the campus of Hobart College (Geneva, NY) on Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6.

Earning the top seed in the tournament, is the host Statesmen of Hobart College. They bring a record of 19-7 into the tournament. Hobart lost in the semifinals of the Liberty League Championship to Hamilton College, 62-60. Medaille College earned the No. 2 seed and stands at 20-7 entering the weekend. The Golden Eagles of Brockport State are seeded third and own a 15-13 record. Sage is 13-12 on the season and is seeded fourth.

2011 ECAC Upstate Men's Basketball Championship (Hosted by Hobart College, Bristol Gym, Geneva, NY)

Saturday, March 5

#1 Hobart College vs. #4 Sage, 5 p.m.

#2 Medaille College vs. #3 Brockport State, 7 p.m.

Sunday, March 6

Championship Game, 2 p.m.

Sage wrapped the 2010-2011 regular-season with a 13-12 overall record and a 10-10 mark in the Skyline Conference.  For Sage, the 2010-2011 season has already produced a number of high-water marks for success. A winning season in just their second season of action, the team's first four-game win streak, most points scored by one player in a season (352), and most points scored by the team (1,911), as well. 

Head Coach Brian Barnes' Gators exceeded the pre-season No. 8 pick with their outstanding play this season. While the Gators did not make the Skyline Conference Tournament, they earned a spot in the 2011 ECAC Upstate Tournament. 

Among the team's leaders this have been the squad's first two seniors, Derick Faragon (Rotterdam Junction, NY/Schenectady) and Lamont Garland (Albany, NY/Colonie).

Garland, a team co-captain this season, exploded for a career-high 20 points on Senior Night. He added 12 points on Saturday at Farmingdale State and has a 7.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg average in 24 games played with three starts. He ranks 15th in the league with his 0.67 blocks per game average on 16, which is second best on the squad.

Faragon leads the team with overall points scored (352), but is third on the team in ppg average (14.1). He surpassed the total point standard established last season at 351. He ranks 13th in the conference in scoring and 10th in rebounding with a 7.1 rpg average. He is also ranked among the league's leaders with his 35.8 3PT FG% (34-95) and 14th in FT% with a 72.1% (62-86). He racked up six double-doubles in 24 starts. 

Junior forward Dalton Austin-Michaud (Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane), a three-time Skyline Conference Honor Roll performer, finished the regular-season as the scoring per game leader with his 17.2 ppg. He netted 206 points on the season in 12 games played with four starts. He hauled down 100 rebounds, good enough for an 8.3 rpg average and hit 59.4% of his shots from the floor (82-138). He connected on five double-doubles and three times tallied a personal-best 23 points in a contest, including Saturday's contest at Farmingdale.   

Sophomore Matt Farbotko (Rouses Point, NY/Northeastern Clinton) added a 14.3 ppg average in 16 games played with 15 starts on the campaign. WIth his 228 points this season, Farbotko has tallied 579 career points, while hauling down 255 rebounds. In 41 career games at Sage, he owns a 14.1 ppg average.   

Sophomore Jeff Stopera (Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville) leads the team with his 148 assists, while adding 7.0 ppg. He is also shooting a blistering 81.0% from the line. He has a 5.92 assists per game average and is second in the conference in per game averages, while ranking third in assists to turnover ratio with a 1.92 average. He is fifth in free throw percentage and sixth in steals with a 1.92 per game average. He surpassed his 250th career assist on Saturday and now has 251 assists in 50 games played with 288 points.

Junior Pat Lanoue (Troy, NY/Hoosic Valley Central) started 22 of 25 games played and is the fourth leading scorer with an 11.4 ppg average. He is second on the team with 44 steals and has a 34.2 3FG%. He ranks 25th in the league in scoring and is tenth in steals with a 1.76 per game average. He is also eighth in the league with his 2.2 three-pointers per game.  

Sophomore Ryan Sager (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) leads the Skyline Conference with his accurate shot. He owns a 58.4 FG% (90-154), while averaging 9.0 ppg. He is also averaging 5.8 rpg, which is 17th highest in the conference.   Sophomore guard Jaret Falkowitz (Scotia, NY/Burnt Hills Ballston Lake) checks in with a 3.8 ppg and 1.3 rpg average in 17 games played with one start.  

Junior Dan Schulz (Amsterdam, NY/Broadalbin-Perth) played in 18 games with a 1.8 ppg average and a 1.3 rpg average, while freshman forward Ryan LaBelle (East Berne, NY/Berne-Knox-Westerlo) appeared in 15 games for Sage as well to help bolster the team's success.