POTSDAM, N.Y. – For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (8-10, 5-7 SUNYAC) swept the two-game season series against SUNY Potsdam (4-15, 2-10 SUNYAC), as the Hawks prevailed by a count of 64-53 on Tuesday evening in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action at Welsh Gymnasium.
New Paltz exhibited an explosive offense the last time these two teams met on Jan. 10, downing Potsdam by a 96-87 final. With the win, the Hawks move three games ahead of the ninth-place Bears in the SUNYAC standings, holding a tie with SUNY Plattsburgh for seventh. The Cardinals currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two squads, and they will meet for the second time this season on Feb. 14 in New Paltz, N.Y.
The Hawks earned the win due to a 36-31 edge on the glass and a 47.8 percent (22-of-46) shooting night from the floor compared to Potsdam's 36.7 percent (22-of-60) clip. New Paltz also received balanced offensive contributions, as five players scored seven or more points. Potsdam found a way to score down low, as 34 of its 53 points came in the paint. New Paltz, meanwhile, shot 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from downtown compared to the Bears' 9.1 percent (1-of-11) mark from long range.
Junior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) scored a game-high-tying 19 points to go along with 12 boards, marking the seventh time this season that he has earned a double-double. Senior guard/forward Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) joined Devine in double figures with 16 points, while junior guard Shalik Jenkins (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys and Girls), junior guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) and senior guard Jermain Wallace (Spring Valley, N.Y./Silver Bluff) all pitched in with seven. Freshman forward/center Alan Siergiej (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to lead all rebounders, and Devine boasted two blocked shots. Siergiej also handed out four assists, a team high.
Potsdam was led by Tony Efese, who drained a game-high-tying 19 points coming off the bench in 31 minutes of action. Curtis Pierce also shot well from the floor, pouring in 13 points. Pierce and Efese also caused problems for the Hawks on defense, as each came up with three steals.
New Paltz led nearly the entirety of the contest, but most of the first half was a seesaw battle with the Hawks unable to build a significant advantage. After Zac Adams gave the Bears their first lead of the game at 15:00 of the first half, New Paltz went on a modest 5-0 run behind five Devine points, and his three-pointer at 13:20 of the first half gave New Paltz a four-point lead. Efese scored a layup to bring Potsdam within two, but Wichard knocked down a triple to push the Hawk edge to five. Efese scored four unanswered points to draw the Bears within one again, and after the two teams traded buckets, Pierce gave Potsdam a one-point advantage. The two sides continued to exchange blows until the Hawks ended the half on a 4-0 spurt. Wallace scored with 19 seconds left in the first stanza to give New Paltz a 36-31 halftime lead.
After neither team was able to sustain momentum in the early stages of the second half, New Paltz engineered an 8-0 run, and a layup by Devine with 6:44 remaining gave New Paltz a 14-point lead. Brad Drysdale and Josh Lambert each cut the deficit to single digits in the waning minutes of the contest, but a 5-0 Hawk run from 3:01 of the second half to 1:39 of the second half helped ice the game. Potsdam resorted to fouling in the final minute, and New Paltz's 2-of-5 showing at the line down the stretch was good enough to keep the Bears from mounting a rally.
The Hawks look to continue their ascension up the league standings this weekend, as they travel to the Rochester area to face SUNY Geneseo and The College at Brockport. New Paltz squares off with the Blue Knights on Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. before taking on the Golden Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 4 p.m.