OSWEGO, N.Y. – Junior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) scored 22 points and added five rebounds, but the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (9-17) dropped a 73-62 decision to No. 14 SUNY Oswego (23-3) in the quarterfinal round of the 2012 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Basketball Championship Tournament on Tuesday evening at Max Ziel Gymnasium. It marked the end to New Paltz's season and Mike Rejniak's first year as the program's head coach.

Beyond Devine, junior guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) drained 16 points, while freshman forward/center Alan Siergiej (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) chipped in with eight points and a team-high seven rebounds. Senior guard/forward Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) dropped in eight points in his final collegiate game, and he finished his career with 1,512 points, which ranks fifth all-time in program history. Wichard also added three assists to his stat line.

For Oswego, Hayden Ward boasted a double-double with 25 points and 16 rebounds, while Chad Burridge and Chris Gilkes reached double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Sean Michele dished out a game-high five assists, and Ryan Sheridan posted the game-high in steals with two coming off the bench.

Both teams shot well from the floor, with New Paltz shooting at a 49.1 percent (27-of-55) percent clip and Oswego knocking down 50 percent (29-of-58) of its shots. The Hawks committed just eight turnovers compared to the Lakers' 10 giveaways, but Oswego held a 33-27 edge on the boards. New Paltz went to the free-throw line just four times all night, but the team knocked down all four of its shots from the charity stripe.

Oswego, which entered Tuesday as the tournament's top seed, led big early, and a layup by Josh Delfino made it a 15-point game (29-14) with to 9:41 play in the first stanza. New Paltz, the tournament's No. 8 seed, countered with a 15-5 run, and junior guard Shalik Jenkins (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys and Girls) cut the deficit to five with a made jumper at 3:43 of the first half, forcing the Lakers to take a 30-second timeout. Oswego closed the stanza on a 5-2 run, and a pair of Ward free throws swelled the lead to eight (36-28) heading into the intermission.

The Lakers scored the first six points of the second half and held on to a double-digit advantage for the majority of the first 12 minutes of the period. A 7-0 Hawk run drew New Paltz within seven at 58-51 after senior guard Jermain Wallace (Spring Valley, N.Y./Silver Bluff) converted on a layup, but Oswego pushed the cushion back to double digits. The Lakers led by 16 (73-57) with 2:08 to go in regulation, but the Hawks held the home team scoreless from that point forward, as New Paltz ended the contest on a 5-0 run to provide the final margin of victory.

The Hawks qualified for the SUNYAC Tournament for the third consecutive year this season, marking just the second time in program history the team has accomplished that feat. New Paltz returns four starters next season, including two of its three leading scorers.