GENESEO, N.Y. – The sixth-seeded State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (11-15) saw its season draw to a close on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the 2013 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, as the Hawks fell, 98-80, to third-seeded SUNY Geneseo (17-9) at Schrader Gymnasium.

Geneseo advances to the semifinal round and will play second-seeded SUNY Plattsburgh on Friday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. at SUNY Cortland.

The Blue Knights torched the nets from the floor, shooting at a 74.0 percent (37-of-50) clip for the game. That field-goal percentage is the highest so far this season by any NCAA Division III team in a single game. New Paltz did shoot 49.2 percent (32-of-65) from the field, including a 56.3 percent (32-of-65) mark in the first half. Geneseo went 18-of-28 (64.3 percent) from the line for the night, while New Paltz shot just five free throws and knocked down four of them (80.0 percent). Both teams protected the ball well, with New Paltz committing 11 turnovers to Geneseo's 10, and the Blue Knights held a 28-24 edge on the glass.

Senior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) performed admirably in his final collegiate basketball game, scoring a game-high 24 points. It marks the fifth straight contest in which Devine has netted at least 20 points. Senior guard/forward Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y./Franklin D. Roosevelt) posted a double-double in his final collegiate game, netting 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Junior guard Andrew Joseph(Brooklyn, N.Y./High School of Art and Design) scored 13 points coming off the bench, while freshman guardKeegan Donovan (Groton, N.Y./Groton) rounded out the Hawks' double-digit scorers with 12 points.

For Geneseo, Gordon Lyons poured in 22 points, while Connor Fedge (18), Thomas Decker (15) and Jordan Jones (13) rounded out the Blue Knights' double-digit scorers. Ryan Riefenhauser helped out the attack with five assists and six points, and Riefenhauser also had two steals.

The first seven minutes of the game featured a back-and-forth battle, as both teams shot at an impressive clip. After a layup by junior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) gave the Hawks a one-point edge at 13:33 of the first half, Geneseo went on a 6-0 tear, and a layup by Fedge swelled the Blue Knight advantage to five. Back-to-back three pointers by Devine and sophomore guard Joe Hulbert (Delanson, N.Y./Duanesburg Central) gave New Paltz the lead once more, but a 9-2 Geneseo spurt put the momentum back in the home team's favor. The Hawks chipped away at that cushion, and a three-pointer by Devine pulled New Paltz within one (44-43) with 1:48 left to play in the first half. A three-pointer by Marcus Hoy with 45 seconds to go before the intermission provided the halftime margin of 47-43.

The beginning of the second half saw Geneseo build up a double-digit lead, but New Paltz found an answer yet again. After Fedge pushed the edge to 10, the Hawks went on a 12-4 tear, and a Devine jumper at 12:24 of the second half made it a two-point game at 59-57. Back-to-back three-pointers by James McKenna helped spark a 12-0 Geneseo run midway through the second half, and the Hawks were unable to recover from that deficit the rest of the way.

New Paltz has now reached the SUNYAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament for four consecutive seasons, setting a program record for consecutive SUNYAC Tournament appearances. The Hawks posted a 9-9 conference record in 2012-13, marking the team's best league mark since the 1998-99 campaign.