NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – A technical foul coupled with a personal foul with 1:02 remaining in regulation ultimately hurt the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (8-14, 5-10 SUNYAC), as the Hawks lost a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game, 69-60, against SUNY Cortland (15-6, 10-4 SUNYAC) Friday night at the Hawk Center.

With the margin at five and with Cortland having possession, New Paltz was charged with a personal foul in addition to a separate technical foul, which allowed the Red Dragons' Harrison Hefele to take four free throws. He made three of them to give Cortland an eight-point edge, and the Hawks had to resort to fouling on the ensuing possession. While junior guard Shalik Jenkins (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys and Girls) converted a three-point play with 38 seconds left to pull New Paltz within five, Cortland made six straight free-throw shots and the Hawks missed two shots from the floor, and the Red Dragons pushed the lead out to double digits (69-58). Senior guard/forward Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) scored with six seconds left to salvage a single-digit defeat.

Even though Cortland led for most of the game, New Paltz hung around and had opportunities to capture the momentum. After the two teams traded points for the first eight minutes of play, the Red Dragons went on an 8-0 run to gain a seven-point lead at 10:10 of the first half. Junior guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) knocked down a three to draw the Hawks within four, but Cortland forged a 6-0 spurt to lead by double digits (25-15) with 8:11 to go in the half. New Paltz kept trimming the deficit to single digits, but a made jumper by Kevin McMahon with 2:36 left in the first half capped a 7-0 Cortland run, and the Red Dragons took a 14-point edge, their largest of the night. After neither team was able to score for over a minute in the waning moments of the period, McMahon made a layup with one second left on the clock to give Cortland a 37-25 lead heading into the break.

Both squads went blow for blow in the opening minutes of the second stanza, but a Wichard three at 14:42 of the second half pulled the Hawks within six. Jeremy Smith hit a trey for Cortland, but Jenkins and Taldi scored on back-to-back possessions to bring New Paltz within five (47-42). The Red Dragons countered with a 7-0 tear, while the Hawks netted five unanswered to draw New Paltz within seven. After the two sides battled back and forth, Jenkins keyed a 6-0 Hawk run, and a pair of made free throws at 2:38 of the second half sliced the deficit to five. That scoring spree set the table for a potential comeback bid, which ended up being foiled by the Red Dragons' ability to hit free throws down the stretch.

New Paltz shot better than Cortland from the floor, netting 42.6 percent (23-of-54) of its shots compared to the Red Dragons' 36.2 percent (21-of-58) clip. The Hawks, however, were hurt at the free-throw line, going 9-of-14 (64.3 percent), and Cortland held a 40-35 edge on the glass. Both teams took care of the ball, as they combined for 12 turnovers (eight for New Paltz, four for Cortland).

Jenkins scored a career-high 18 points off 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and 3-of-3 shooting from the free-throw line, which tied junior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) for the game-high total. Devine added 14 boards to collect his eighth double-double of the year. Freshman forward/center Alan Siergiej (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) chipped in with four assists, while freshman guard/forward Matt Pierson (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) had a block.

For Cortland, four players reached double figures. Jeremy Smith drained a team-high 17 points, while Brian Manning and McMahon scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, coming off the bench. Hefele added 11 points to the Red Dragons' cause. Manning boasted a double-double with 10 rebounds in addition to his point total, and Smith and Jesse Winter each dished out three assists. Defensively, Dan Sternkopf had three blocks, while Smith, Hefele and Nick Sutedjo collected two steals apiece.

The Hawks also celebrated Think Pink Night, wearing pink shoelaces throughout the duration of the game to honor the fight against breast cancer. The Department of Athletics, Wellness & Recreation was able to raise $529.75 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation throughout the evening, which it achieved through selling pink t-shirts and raffle tickets.

New Paltz returns to the Hawk Center hardwood tomorrow afternoon, squaring off with 18th-ranked SUNY Oswego at 4 p.m. on Senior Day.