FREDONIA, N.Y. – Freshman forward Deveino McRae (Bronx, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) made quite an impact in his first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game in a Hawk uniform, as he led the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (3-2, 1-0 SUNYAC) to a 92-87 double-overtime victory over SUNY Fredonia (2-3, 0-1 SUNYAC) on Friday evening at Steele Hall. It marked the SUNYAC opener for both teams.

McRae shot 10-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-5 from downtown en route to compiling a game-high 23 points. He also grabbed 17 rebounds and was the only player to reach double figures in the statistical category. Both totals marked career-highs for the freshman forward by large marginsn

Beyond McRae, senior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) drained 22 points—12 of which came off three-pointers—while senior guard/forward Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y./Franklin D. Roosevelt) and senior guard Shalik Jenkins (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys and Girls) chipped in 16 points apiece. Jenkins also dished out a career-high seven assists.

For Fredonia, Tyrone Clark netted a team-high 22 points, while Joe Monahan and Amir Billups contributed 21 and 15 points, respectively. Billups came up with a team-high six boards, while Monahan had three steals.

The Hawks shot 49.2 percent from the field off 32-of-65 shooting and went 22-of-27 from the line. Meanwhile, their counterparts hit 32-of-70 shots from the floor (45.7 percent) and shot just 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the charity stripe. New Paltz dominated the glass with a 45-28 edge in boards, but the Hawks committed 18 turnovers to the Blue Devils' 10.

Fredonia controlled the tempo throughout much of the first half. After a made layup by Devine made it 18-16 in favor of the Hawks at 9:13 of the first half, the Blue Devils closed the period on a 23-14 run to take a 39-32 advantage into the locker room.

Coming out of the break, the two teams traded a pair of points until McRae scored four straight and Taylor hit three consecutive free throws to tie the score at 41-all. New Paltz led by as many as seven in the half, but down the stretch, neither team could create separation. After Matt Deboy made a layup in the paint with 51 seconds left in regulation, the Blue Devils tied the score at 66-all. The Hawks milked the clock on the ensuing possession, which ended with a McRae layup giving the visitors a 68-66 edge with 23 ticks remaining. A foul by Devine sent Clark to the line, and he knocked down a pair of freebies to set up one final possession for New Paltz. Junior guard/forwardTaylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) missed a shot at the buzzer, and the game went into overtime with the score tied at 68.

The first overtime opened with Clark and Devine each hitting a three-pointer. Clark then hit a jumper followed by a Devine three-pointer, and McRae added two made free throws on the Hawks' ensuing offensive possession to give New Paltz a 76-73 lead. Billups trimmed the deficit to one, but McRae once again tacked on a pair of points to give the Hawks a three-point edge, doing so this time with 1:27 left in the first overtime period. Monahan responded with a three—which deadlocked the tally at 78-all—but a Deboy foul on New Paltz's next possession set up a chance for Jenkins to go to the line. He made both free throws to give the Hawks an 80-78 advantage with the shot clock turned off. Clark wasted no time on Fredonia's next possession, burning just four seconds off the clock before draining a layup to tie the game. Time ran out on Sowah once again, and the two squads headed into a second overtime.

After 51 seconds of scoreless action in the second overtime, Devine broke the ice with a three-pointer. Clark dunked at 3:04 of the second overtime period to cut the deficit to one, but Devine made a layup on the Hawks' next possession to put New Paltz back up by three. A technical foul charged to New Paltz gave the Blue Devils a chance to take—and make—three free throws, and that tied the score once again, this time at 85-all. Another minute of scoreless basketball went by before Jenkins connected from distance with 47 seconds remaining, and New Paltz swelled the lead to three. Clark misfired on a three with 14 seconds left, and a defensive rebound by Jenkins all but sealed the win for the Hawks. Jenkins and Devine each made a pair of free throws in the final five seconds of the tilt in addition to a Fredonia made layup to spell out the final score.

New Paltz hopes to ride the momentum tomorrow afternoon, as it takes on Buffalo State at 4 p.m. at the Buffalo State Sports Arena in another SUNYAC clash.