ONEONTA, N.Y. – A 16-point halftime lead helped the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (6-7, 3-3 SUNYAC) hold off SUNY Oneonta (2-10, 1-5 SUNYAC) on Saturday afternoon in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action at Dewar Arena, as the Hawks prevailed, 79-70.

Four players reached double figures for New Paltz. Senior guard/forward Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y./Franklin D. Roosevelt) led the Hawks with 18 points, while freshman forward Deveino McRae (Bronx, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) shot 7-of-7 from the floor on his way to compiling 17 points. Senior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) poured in 14 points, while junior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) scored a season-high-tying 12 coming off the bench. McRae grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, while Taylor came away with a game-high four steals.

For Oneonta, Zach Mager netted a game-high 26 points, while Jackson Zuvic scored 14. Frankie Kelly dished out a game-high five assists.

The Hawks shot 54.3 percent (19-of-35) from the field in the first half en route to hitting 48.4 percent (30-of-62) of its shots total from the floor. Oneonta was helped by 85.7 percent (12-of-14) shooting from the line for the game, but the Hawks controlled the glass, outrebounding the Red Dragons by a 35-28 margin.

After Oneonta hopped out to a 6-3 lead, New Paltz went on a 6-0 tear, and back-to-back layups by Taylor and McRae gave the Hawks a three-point advantage. Both teams battled back and forth until a 9-0 New Paltz spurt staked the visiting team to a 29-18 lead at 6:47 of the first half. The Hawks rode that run into the break, as they took a 46-30 advantage into the locker room.

The Red Dragons scored the first five points of the second half, which signaled a change of pace from the first stanza. A 15-4 Oneonta run midway through the period helped change the complexion of the contest, as Jack Dignan made a layup to force a New Paltz timeout. His bucket brought the Red Dragons within three points of the Hawks at 57-54. Neither side was able to control the momentum down the stretch, but Oneonta continued to vie for the lead. Dignan hit a three-pointer with 2:44 remaining in regulation to make it a two-point game, and after a New Paltz basket, Mager scored on a layup to draw Oneonta back within two once again. The Hawks then closed the game on a 7-0 run, and a made free throw by Devine with 30 seconds remaining sealed the victory.

New Paltz has a week off from competition before traveling up to the North Country. The Hawks square off with SUNY Plattsburgh on Friday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m. before taking on SUNY Potsdam on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 4 p.m.