(Valhalla, NY) - Three days after a frustrating loss that was defined by being out-muscled in the paint, the Westchester Community College Men's Basketball team rebounded ... literally. And they rebounded again, and again, and again. In fact, they rebounded the basketball so many times that by the time the final minutes of what was projected to be a battle between the Vikings and defending Region XV/District Champion Ulster Community College on Thursday night at Viking Gymnasium counted down, the battle became little more than a minor skirmish. A huge second half propelled Westchester to an 82-59 win over Ulster CC in front of an electric crowd in, and in the process, the Vikings may have found yet another weapon to take to the court as they seek a Region XV Championship of their own.

Playing in only the third game of his career, freshman Robert Pope (Bronx, NY/Lehman HS) turned in a performance - actually a half - for the ages. The rookie forward scored eight points - the final two of which came on a thunderous dunk that brought the crowd to its feet with 3:33 to play in the game - and grabbed an incredible 19 rebounds, 18 of which came during the second half, to help break wide open what was a close game for the first 20 minutes. Pope's efforts on the offensive glass alone - 10 offensive rebounds - led to a 21-6 Viking edge in second-chance points, giving WCC a huge push during the second half.

Pope's unbelievable numbers told only a fraction of the story as rebounding was where Westchester flat-out dominated the game. The Vikings out-rebounded Ulster a remarkable 72-40 for the game, including a 35-16 edge during the second half as WCC outscored the Senators 42-28 over the final 20 minutes.

For a while, it appeared as if the Vikings would need every rebound and bucket they could get. An Ulster free throw two minutes into the game cut an early Viking lead to 8-4. From there, Westchester went on a 9-0 run over a three-minute span to make it a 17-4 game, and appeared to be in command. However, a 10-4 Senator run made things interesting. As late as 3:37 remaining in the first half, Westchester led by only five points, but a late charge put WCC up 40-31 at halftime as the Vikings took 49 shots to Ulster's 33 during the opening stanza, but shot only 37% from the floor during the first half, which kept things close.

During the second half, an Ulster basket with 15:56 to play made it a 46-41 Viking lead, but from there, Westchester went on a 15-3 run over a five-minute span to all but put the game away. From there, WCC cruised to victory.

On top of Pope's heroics, sophomore Miles Haughton (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck HS) had another spectacular night, scoring a game-high 21 points, while chipping in eight rebounds, a season-high seven blocked shots, three assists, and two steals. Also, sophomore Jon Brennan (Irvington, NY/Iona Prep) scored a season-high 11 points while adding three assists, and freshman Joe Zayer (West Nyack, NY/Clarkstown South HS) scored 19 points and added seven rebounds and six assists. 10 different Vikings scored during the game.

Westchester now embarks on a six-game road trip, beginning with a visit to Orange Community College on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. Westchester will not play at home again until Jan. 15, 2019.