Nov 21, 2013
Brian Savard, Athletic Communications Director
11/21/2013 10:46:00 PM
Box Score
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team ran into a hot-shooting Vassar College squad, as the Hawks fell, 73-61, in their 2013-14 home opener Thursday night at the Hawk Center. The Brewers shot at a 29-of-49 (49 percent) clip for the game, including a 46.4 percent (13-of-28) mark from behind the arc.
The two teams battled in the first half, but the non-conference Brewers went on a 10-7 spurt early in the second stanza and broke the game open with a 12-0 scoring spree midway through the period. New Paltz was unable to cut the deficit to single digits from that point forward, and the Brewers came away with their first win over the Hawks since the 2007-08 campaign.
New Paltz drops to 2-1 overall will look to get back to its winning ways on Saturday, Nov. 23, as it hosts Delaware Valley College at 4 p.m. in a non-conference contest. Saturday's contest against the Aggies marks the Hawks' final home game of the 2013 calendar year. Vassar rises to 2-1 overall and hosts Western Connecticut State University next on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m.
Both sides went point for point in the opening stanza, but a 5-0 Vassar run that spanned from 2:49 of the first half to 2:14 of the first half gave the Brewers a 30-25 advantage and a significant swing of momentum. Junior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) knocked down the second of two free throws to draw the Hawks within four with 1:38 to go before halftime, but junior guard Curtis Smith hit a free throw with 17 seconds remaining in the half to extend the Brewer edge back to five. Freshman forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) converted on a jumper with four ticks remaining in the first half to draw New Paltz within three at 31-28 heading into the locker room.
The two teams were neck-and-neck once more in the beginning of the second half, with Vassar going on runs that were subsequently quelled by timely New Paltz shots. After junior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (Marlboro, N.Y./Sullivan West) made it a two-point game at 46-44 with 11:28 remaining in regulation, Vassar went on its debilitating 12-0 spurt, which was capped off with a layup by sophomore guard/forward Johnny Mrlik at 7:43 of the second half. While Vassar controlled the tempo from that point forward, New Paltz cracked the 60-point barrier in the final seconds of the contest, as a steal from freshman guard Eric Regenbogen (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) ultimately set up an inbounds play that saw freshman guard/forward Joe Tino (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings) hit a three-pointer right before time expired.
The Hawks shot just 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the floor and 35.0 percent (7-of-20) from three-point range, but they did go 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) from the free-throw line in the defeat. For the third time this season, the average-sized Hawks outrebounded a taller team, holding a 33-30 cushion in boards. New Paltz wound up committing 11 turnovers to Vassar's eight.
Sowah and graduate student guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) led the Hawks offensively with 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Sowah and sophomore forward Kevin Roach (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) tied for the team-high in rebounds with six each. Roach's stat line also included two steals and one block.
For Vassar, Mrlik stuffed the stat sheet by nearly achieving a triple-double. He finished with game-highs in points (21), rebounds (9) and assists (7), and he also added two steals and a block. Sophomore guard Erikson Wasyl and Smith tallied 16 and 15 points, respectively, while junior forward Luka Ladan contributed 13 points in 25 minutes coming off the bench.
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team ran into a hot-shooting Vassar College squad, as the Hawks fell, 73-61, in their 2013-14 home opener Thursday night at the Hawk Center. The Brewers shot at a 29-of-49 (49 percent) clip for the game, including a 46.4 percent (13-of-28) mark from behind the arc.
The two teams battled in the first half, but the non-conference Brewers went on a 10-7 spurt early in the second stanza and broke the game open with a 12-0 scoring spree midway through the period. New Paltz was unable to cut the deficit to single digits from that point forward, and the Brewers came away with their first win over the Hawks since the 2007-08 campaign.
New Paltz drops to 2-1 overall will look to get back to its winning ways on Saturday, Nov. 23, as it hosts Delaware Valley College at 4 p.m. in a non-conference contest. Saturday's contest against the Aggies marks the Hawks' final home game of the 2013 calendar year. Vassar rises to 2-1 overall and hosts Western Connecticut State University next on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m.
Both sides went point for point in the opening stanza, but a 5-0 Vassar run that spanned from 2:49 of the first half to 2:14 of the first half gave the Brewers a 30-25 advantage and a significant swing of momentum. Junior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) knocked down the second of two free throws to draw the Hawks within four with 1:38 to go before halftime, but junior guard Curtis Smith hit a free throw with 17 seconds remaining in the half to extend the Brewer edge back to five. Freshman forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) converted on a jumper with four ticks remaining in the first half to draw New Paltz within three at 31-28 heading into the locker room.
The two teams were neck-and-neck once more in the beginning of the second half, with Vassar going on runs that were subsequently quelled by timely New Paltz shots. After junior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (Marlboro, N.Y./Sullivan West) made it a two-point game at 46-44 with 11:28 remaining in regulation, Vassar went on its debilitating 12-0 spurt, which was capped off with a layup by sophomore guard/forward Johnny Mrlik at 7:43 of the second half. While Vassar controlled the tempo from that point forward, New Paltz cracked the 60-point barrier in the final seconds of the contest, as a steal from freshman guard Eric Regenbogen (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) ultimately set up an inbounds play that saw freshman guard/forward Joe Tino (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings) hit a three-pointer right before time expired.
The Hawks shot just 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the floor and 35.0 percent (7-of-20) from three-point range, but they did go 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) from the free-throw line in the defeat. For the third time this season, the average-sized Hawks outrebounded a taller team, holding a 33-30 cushion in boards. New Paltz wound up committing 11 turnovers to Vassar's eight.
Sowah and graduate student guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) led the Hawks offensively with 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Sowah and sophomore forward Kevin Roach (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) tied for the team-high in rebounds with six each. Roach's stat line also included two steals and one block.
For Vassar, Mrlik stuffed the stat sheet by nearly achieving a triple-double. He finished with game-highs in points (21), rebounds (9) and assists (7), and he also added two steals and a block. Sophomore guard Erikson Wasyl and Smith tallied 16 and 15 points, respectively, while junior forward Luka Ladan contributed 13 points in 25 minutes coming off the bench.