Spartan Men Settle for 4th Place at NJCAA Division III National Tournament

The season ended for the M State Men's basketball team on Saturday in Herkimer, New York, with an 86-69 loss to Dallas College – Richland in the NJCAA Division III 3rd place game.  The Spartans finished with a 30-4 record, the most wins in a single season in Spartan history.  The Thunder Ducks were trailing 27-26 when they went on a 9-point run to establish a lead they never relinquished.

One of the strengths of the Spartan team this season has been their team shooting percentage.  They had a team field goal percentage just over 50% this season, but on Saturday they struggled to make their shots, shooting a season low 35.1% (20-57) from the field.  Dallas – Richland wound up hitting 33-of-71 shots for 46.5% and also had a 45-37 advantage on the boards.

Foday Sheriff (24 points, 12 rebounds) managed a double-double and Mason Muir (21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks) and Yonis Mohamud (10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals) also scored in double figures for M State.  Sheriff and Muir were both named to the All-Tournament team.  Tyson McArthur dished out a team leading 7 assists on the day.

The Thunder Ducks were led by Barack Holland (21 points, 9 rebounds), Elijah Brown (15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists), Nehemiah Jones (11 points, 9 rebounds) and Cjay Ingram (9 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals).  DJ Willis contributed 10 points off the bench.

Mohawk Valley, the team that beat the Spartans in the semifinals, won the National Championship with a 58-51 victory over host team, Herkimer.

Three members of the 2024-25 Spartan Men's Basketball team climbed up the ladder in career stat categories.  Here is where they wound up on the respective lists.

Foday Sheriff
Career Points: Tied for 4th (1112) with Shane Bosek (2011-2013)
Career Rebounds: 5th (535)

Yonis Mohamud
Career Points: 13th (904)
Career Steals: 3rd (141)
Career 3 point field goals: 4th (145)

Mason Muir
Career Points: 16th (856).