Skyhawks Rally From 14 Down to Give Sanjay Lumpkin His First Win as Head Coach

The College Park Skyhawks opened the 2026-27 season on Friday night at Gateway Center Arena by giving head coach Sanjay Lumpkin his first win. They dug out of an early 14-point hole and pulled away late to beat Raptors 905, 128-117.

The night started rough for the Skyhawks. They committed 14 turnovers in the first quarter alone, and the 905 turned those into easy baskets, building a 20-6 lead with just under seven minutes left in the period on a running layup from Olumide Adelodun. Tyreke Key was a problem from the opening tip and scored 12 points in the quarter. College Park did start to settle in behind Devon Higgs, RayJ Dennis and Cameron Corhen, but the 905 still controlled the period and led 35-25 after one.

AJ Hoggard opened the second quarter with back-to-back three-pointers and pushed the 905 lead back to 12. The Skyhawks answered with their best stretch of the night. Keon Johnson scored 12 points in the quarter, Corhen added nine, including a pair of alley-oop dunks, and Dennis had nine points and four assists as College Park chipped away possession by possession. Dennis tied the game at 61 at the free throw line with 1:25 left in the half, and a Dennis three-pointer before the break sent the Skyhawks into the locker room with their first lead since the opening minutes, after outscoring the 905 42-31 in the quarter, 67-66.

The third quarter belonged to Higgs early. He scored 10 points in the period, and his three-pointer in transition and a pair of free throws helped College Park stretch its lead to eight at 81-73. The 905 kept answering, though. Jamarion Sharp and Adelodun worked inside, Malachi Smith and Tyson Degenhart hit threes, and Kevin McCullar’s turnaround jumper and driving bank shot in the final three minutes kept the lead flipping back and forth through seven lead changes in the quarter. Raptors 905 carried a narrow edge into the fourth quarter, 98-97.

The 905 went ahead by five early in the fourth on Sharp’s alley-oop dunk from Key, then retook the lead again at 113-110 on a McCullar three and a running layup with 4:44 remaining. From there, College Park took over. Dennis scored on a driving layup, a transition basket put the Skyhawks back in front, and Isaac McKneely hit a 27-foot three-pointer with 3:18 left to make it a four-point game. The Skyhawks closed on an 18-4 run, going 7-of-8 at the free throw line in the quarter and getting an alley-oop dunk from Corhen in the final minute, while the 905 shot just 30.8 percent in the fourth and never got to the line. College Park finished it off, 128-117.

Keon Johnson led all scorers with 38 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-8 from three and a perfect 6-of-6 at the line, to go with five rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes. The fifth-year guard set a career high for the Tip-Off Tournament and the franchise record for points in a Skyhawks season opener. Higgs was nearly perfect, scoring a career-high 28 points on 9-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds and a career-best six steals. He became just the fourth player in franchise history to record at least 25 points, five rebounds and five steals in a game, joining Kobe Johnson, Charlie Brown Jr. and Jordan Sibert.

Dennis, an Atlanta Hawks two-way guard, and Kobe Johnson both recorded their first double-doubles of the season. Dennis finished with 22 points and 11 assists, while Johnson added 16 points, 13 rebounds and three steals in 35 minutes. Corhen chipped in 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds. As a team, College Park shot 51.1 percent from the field and won the battle in transition, outscoring the 905 30-14 in fast-break points and 64-54 in the paint.

Key led Raptors 905 with 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting, Smith added 16 points and eight rebounds, and Degenhart and Hoggard scored 15 apiece. Sharp posted a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, and McCullar finished with 12. The 905 committed 25 turnovers, and College Park turned them into 35 points.

The Skyhawks (1-0) and Raptors 905 (0-1) meet again Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. at Gateway Center Arena for the Skyhawks’ first Kids Day game of the season. College Park then hosts the Long Island Nets on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.