NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team fell behind early and was unable to recover, as the Hawks fell, 71-57, to Mount Saint Mary College on Tuesday night in non-conference action at the Kaplan Center.

New Paltz was hurt by 19 percent (4-of-21) shooting from three-point range and shot just 30.8 percent (20-of-65) from the floor for the game. Mount Saint Mary, meanwhile, drained its shots from the field at a 45.1 percent (23-of-51) clip and edged the Hawks, 38-37, in rebounds.

The Hawks drop below .500 for the first time this season, falling to 2-3 overall. New Paltz gets back after it following the Thanksgiving break, visiting Eastern Connecticut State University on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Mount Saint Mary, conversely, rises above .500 for the first time this year, moving to 3-2 overall. The Knights square off next with the University of Scranton on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. in Scranton, Pa.

New Paltz fell into an 5-0 hole to start the game, but baskets by junior guard/forwards Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) and R.J. Rosa (Marlboro, N.Y./Sullivan West) drew the Hawks within one with 15:50 to play in the first half. The Knights then went on a 9-0 tear shortly thereafter, and a three-pointer by senior forward Joe Stabach gave the home team an 11-point edge. Mount Saint Mary ended up going on an offensive drought for four minutes and allowed New Paltz to pull within seven, but an 8-0 Knight spurt helped the home team hold a double-digit lead heading into the half.

Mount Saint Mary continued to build on its lead in the second half and led by as many as 20, which occurred on a layup by sophomore guard Stephen Steyer with 4:30 to go in regulation. The Hawks, however, made one final push in the waning minutes of the game and pieced together a 7-0 run. Back-to-back steals by sophomore guard Keegan Donovan (Groton, N.Y./Groton) helped cap the run, and a three-pointer by graduate student guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) with 50 seconds left in regulation drew the Hawks within 10. New Paltz fouled on each Knight possession in the final minute, and Mount Saint Mary hit its free throws to stave off any potential comeback.

Taldi scored a team-high 12 points in 23 minutes to lead New Paltz coming off the bench, while Sowah boasted eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. Sowah also dished out three assists.

Mount Saint Mary was paced by Stabach, who drained a game-high 23 points. Senior forwards Joe Henain and Chris Pisciotta posted 12 and 11 points, respectively, to join Stabach in double figures. Senior guard Donte Howell fell just short of a double-double with nine points and nine assists, while Henain completed a double-double with 13 rebounds and added five blocks and two assists.