Lake Buena Vista, Fla. - The 2009-10 December Holiday Festival got underway Monday with familiar rivals SUNY Oneonta and SUNYIT facing off. This three-day tournament consists of three Division III men's basketball programs that will each face each other once. A student-athlete will be honored as Tournament Most Outstanding Player by the Holiday Festival staff, along with an overall team champion.

2009-10 ECAC Holiday Festival Notes
The 2009-10 ECAC Holiday Festival features 12 teams split into two separate tournament sessions. Three men's teams round out the December 20-24 session which tips off today; and nine men's and women's basketball programs travel to Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex for the January 1-5 session to conclude the tournament.

For the full December session schedule and the latest game results and recaps; stay tuned to ECACSports.com.

  2009-10 ECAC Holiday Festival - December 20-24, 2009
Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex - The Milkhouse

Tournament Bracket

Game 1 - Monday, December 21

SUNYIT 67 vs. SUNY Oneonta 78  box score / game recap

The Red Dragons prevailed 78-67, improving their record to 7-1 as SUNYIT drops to 4-2. SUNY Oneonta was led by junior forward Brian Hooks (Cohoes, N.Y./Shaker) who led four Oneonta players in double figures with 18 points while going 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. The Dragons also got contributions in the form of a double-double from senior forward Brian Beckford (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) who totaled 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. SUNYIT was led by Floyd Fitzpatrick Thorne (Brooklyn, N.Y./Paul Smith's) who poured in a game high 19 points.

Game 2 - Tuesday, December 22

SUNY Oneonta 78 vs. Wheaton 68  box score / game recap

SUNY Oneonta claimed the 2009 ECAC December Holiday Festival crown with a 78-68 win over Wheaton College. The victory improves their record to 8-1; matching its best start in over 10 years. Brian Beckford (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) continued his stellar play around the hoop netting 18 points and corralling 7 rebounds which earned him Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. Michael Grimes (Albany, N.Y./Catholic Central) matched Beckford's total as he added 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Game 3 - Wednesday, December 23

Wheaton 58 vs. SUNYIT 70  box score / game recap

In the final contest of the December ECAC Holiday Festival SUNYIT dropped Wheaton, 70-58, behind a tournament-high 22 points from senior guard Diloo Brown (Harlem, N.Y./Technical Careers Institute) and a 20 point, 10 rebound effort from David Golembiowski (Barneveld, N.Y./Holland Patent). The teams saw themselves tied at the half before SUNYIT pulled away late in the second half for the 12 point win. Senior forward Ben Stehle (Newton, Mass./Newton South HS) led the Lyons with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

ECAC Basketball Officiating

For the December session of the Holiday Festival, four men's basketball officials were selected by the ECAC Officiating staff to officiate the three contests. Nine men's and women's officials were also hand-picked to officiate the games to be played in the January session. Pictured below are three officials who were assigned to the Holiday Festival opening game; SUNY Oneonta vs. SUNYIT.

Matt Lavigne, Victor Thomas, and Chris Slattery
ECAC Men's Basketball Officials

The ECAC assigns officials in 12 sports in Division I, II and III, including men's and women's basketball, fencing, field hockey, football, men's gymnastics, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's soccer, softball and wrestling.  In addition, the ECAC officiating bureaus provide clinics and workshops, improving the level of officiating and attracting the most qualified collegiate officials.  The bureaus assign for both conference and NCAA championships and totaled over 46,000 assignments using more than 4,400 officials last year.