POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (2-2) never trailed, as the Hawks cruised past cross-river rival Vassar College (2-2), 74-58, in a non-conference game Tuesday night at the Athletics & Fitness Center. New Paltz had 10 different players score in the victory.

Freshman forward Deveino McRae (Bronx, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) scored the game's first three points off free throws, but Vassar received four points from Seth Bynum to draw within one at 5-4. Senior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) knocked down two straight shots to put the Hawks up five, but the Brewers twice pulled back within two points in the ensuing two minutes. A 5-0 New Paltz spurt staked the Hawks to a 16-9 advantage, and John Donnelly stopped the run with a layup at 12:03 of the first half.

Neither team scored for nearly three whole minutes, and junior guard/forward Taylor Sowah(Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) broke the scoreless streak with a made free throw. That sparked a 22-16 New Paltz run to end the half, and the Hawks entered the locker room with a 38-27 cushion.

New Paltz continued pushing the attack in the second half, with McRae scoring on the opening possession of the stanza and junior guard Andrew Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School of Art and Design) cashing in on a possession that was kept alive by two offensive rebounds. While the Brewers would piece together small runs throughout the second half, they were unable to climb out of their double-digit deficit, which New Paltz widened slightly in the final 20 minutes of play.

The Hawks were outshot from the field by a 47.8 percent-to-43.3 percent edge, but New Paltz's margin of victory was provided due in large part to its 60 field-goal attempts to Vassar's 46. New Paltz won the rebounding battle, 38-32, and the Hawks forced the Brewers into making 20 turnovers.

Devine carried the Hawks offensively with 19 points off 8-of-15 shooting from the floor, and he also added five boards. Senior guard/forward Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y./Franklin D. Roosevelt) and Joseph also reached double figures, netting 12 and 10 points, respectively. Joseph grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and added a game-high four steals.

For Vassar, Curtis Smith and Alex Snyder each drained 10 points, while Snyder completed the double-double with 10 rebounds.

New Paltz opens up State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play this weekend, beginning on Friday, Nov. 30, against SUNY Fredonia. The opening tip is set for 8 p.m.