SCRANTON, Pa. – Buoyed by a career-high 28 points from junior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township), first-year head coach Mike Rejniak earned his first win as a collegiate head coach against Centenary (N.J.) College (0-2) in the semifinal round of the Radisson Invitational hosted by the University of Scranton Friday, as the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (1-0) triumphed by an 85-79 final in the Hawks' 2011-12 season debut.

New Paltz eventually prevailed in this seesaw battle, as the two teams combined for nine tied scores and eight lead changes. Both teams shot the ball almost identically, as the Hawks shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor, while the Cyclones shot 42.5 percent (31-of-73) from the field. New Paltz more than doubled Centenary's rebounding total, holding a 58-27 edge on the glass, but the Hawks let the Cyclones stay in the game with 26 turnovers.

Neither team had more than a four-point lead until senior guard Jermain Wallace (Spring Valley, N.Y./Silver Bluff) drilled a three-pointer at 3:29 of the first half to make the score 32-27 in favor of New Paltz. Centenary was able to twice cut the lead down to one before the Hawks went on a 12-4 run to close the half, entering the halftime break with a comfortable 38-29 lead.

After Centenary's Larry Lenahan trimmed the advantage to seven, New Paltz scored five unanswered points, three of which came from senior guard/forward Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK), who knocked down a free throw and converted on a layup.

The Cyclones, however, went on a 16-1 run, and a layup by Warren Murphy at 13:49 of the second half gave Centenary a three-point lead at 47-44. Lenahan gave the Cyclones their largest lead of the contest at 12:56 of the second half, hitting a free throw that pushed the score to 52-47 in favor of Centenary.

After trading buckets, New Paltz went on an 8-0 run on the strength of five points by Wichard, and the Hawks took a 65-59 lead with 7:15 to go in regulation. New Paltz continued to build on that momentum, and junior guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) put the Hawks out in front 72-63 with a three-pointer at 4:15 of the second half. Centenary countered with an 8-0 run to make it a one-point game, as Murphy pulled the Cyclones within one at 3:22 of the second half with a made layup.

Both teams continued to trade blows, and New Paltz continued to hang on to its slim lead. Down by two (79-77) with 21 seconds remaining, Centenary called its final timeout, and the Cyclones were forced to put the Hawks at the line. New Paltz went 7-of-7 from the charity stripe in those final 21 seconds of play, with two points coming from Taldi and five points coming from Devine, and the Hawks were able to advance on to the championship game tomorrow afternoon.

New Paltz put four players in double figures. Beyond Devine, who collected the game-high of 28 points, Wichard scored 19, and both Taldi and senior center Daniel Olsen (Stafford Springs, Conn./Wilbraham and Munson) chipped in with 10. Three Hawks had double-doubles, as Olsen (18), Wichard (15) and Devine (12) all stuffed the rebounding column, and Devine dished out five assists. Defensively, Olsen boasted three blocks and two steals.

Murphy paced the Cyclones with 25 points, and Max Hughes (19), Lenahan (15) and Kyle Malavasi (10) each joined him in double figures. Murphy also offered a game-high eight assists, and Hughes led the team in rebounds with seven.

New Paltz takes on the winner of the 7:30 p.m. game between Scranton and Maritime College tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. in the championship game of the Radisson Invitational.