NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (5-7, 3-2 SUNYAC) notched a signature win on Tuesday night at the Hawk Center, topping SUNY Cortland (8-3, 2-2 SUNYAC) by a 77-70 final in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contest. Senior forward Matt Devine(Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) shot 11-of-12 from the line to fortify his game-high 25 points.

Down by one with 2:31 to go in the game, New Paltz went on a 12-4 run to close out the tilt. Devine made the back end of a two-shot trip to the line to tie the score at 66-all, and senior guard/forward Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y./Freehold Township) netted a three-pointer with 57 seconds to go to put the Hawks up by three. A layup by junior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) on a fastbreak on New Paltz's next offensive possession gave the Hawks a five-point edge, but Jesse Winter trimmed that by hitting 1-of-2 free throws on Cortland's next trip down the floor. Devine knocked down a pair of freebies to swell the Hawk lead to six, but Jeremy Smith connected on a three-pointer to make it a one-possession game at 73-70 with 17 seconds left. Devine went on to make four more free throws, and the Hawks emerged victorious over the Red Dragons.

Three three-pointers by Winter in the first four minutes of the game helped the Red Dragons construct a 17-9 edge early. His third three-pointer—which extended the Cortland lead to eight—built what was Cortland's largest lead of the night. New Paltz slowly chipped away at the cushion, and a 5-0 run that was capped by a layup by junior guard Andrew Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School of Art and Design) tied the score at 26-all with 4:25 left to play in the first half. Shortly thereafter, the Hawks went on an 8-0 scoring spree, and back-to-back threes from Taylor and Devine pushed the New Paltz advantage to seven at 36-29. Harrison Hefele scored twice for Cortland in the final minute of the first stanza to provide the halftime tally of 36-33.

New Paltz led by as many as eight points in the second half, but a 5-0 Cortland spurt midway through the period tied the score at 49-all. After a Kevin McMahon layup tied the score once again, Hefele hit a three-pointer to give the Red Dragons their first lead of the half. The two teams battled for the upper hand on the scoreboard in the final few minutes of the contest before Devine broke it open late with a sure hand at the line.

Devine registered a double-double with 25 points and 12 boards, and he also boasted one assist. Taylor joined Devine in double figures with 22 points and added nine rebounds of his own. Senior guard Shalik Jenkins(Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys and Girls) dished out a team-high three assists, while freshman forward Deveino McRae(Bronx, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) tallied a career-high three steals.

For Cortland, Winter led three players in double figures with 20 points. Hefele and Smith boasted 13 and 14 points, respectively, while McMahon caromed a game-high-tying 12 rebounds.

New Paltz shot a hot 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from the floor for the game, including 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from three-point range. The Hawks also hit 16-of-20 (80 percent) free throws and held a 41-35 edge on the glass. Cortland was limited to 35.3 percent (24-of-68) shooting from the field and was just 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the line. New Paltz turned the ball over 13 times, while the Red Dragons committed just nine turnovers.

The Hawks return to action on Saturday, Jan. 12, as they visit SUNY Oneonta for a 4 p.m. SUNYAC matchup.