NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Up 13 points with 7:57 to go in regulation, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team allowed SUNY Geneseo to go on a 13-0 run, and after the score was tied at 77-all after the second-half buzzer, the Knights went on to win in overtime, 92-82, in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game Friday night at the Hawk Center.
 
New Paltz, which led by as many as 16 points in the contest, ended up stopping Geneseo's late 13-0 run when junior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) put the Hawks back up by two with 3:07 to go in regulation. Junior forward Devon Anderson converted on a three-point play to put the Knights ahead, and senior forward Matt Curry made 1-of-2 free throws at 1:02 of the second half to take a two-point edge at 77-75. Sowah got fouled and knocked down a pair of free throws with 35 seconds left, tying the score at 77-all. Geneseo had to call three timeouts in the final possession of regulation, and junior guard Andy Drescher drew iron on a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
 
The overtime period began with four straight points by Geneseo, but two free throws by sophomore guard Keegan Donovan (Groton, N.Y./Groton) pulled the Hawks within two. Junior forward Gordon Lyons then converted on an old-fashioned three-point play, and following a made foul shot by freshman forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur), senior guard Thomas Decker iced the game with a three with 59 seconds to go. Forced to foul, New Paltz sent the Knights to the line in each of their final possessions, and the visitors went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the last minute of overtime.
 
New Paltz drops to 6-10 overall and 3-6 in the SUNYAC. The Hawks finish their five-game home stand tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. against No. 23 The College at Brockport. Geneseo rises to 12-2 overall and 6-1 in the SUNYAC. The Knights contest SUNY Oneonta tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m.
 
The two teams battled early, with neither side claiming more than a three-point advantage until Sowah drained a three with 7:06 to go before halftime. New Paltz put on a three-point shooting clinic in the final four minutes of the first half, with Donovan and sophomore guard Zach Cone-Douglas (New Paltz, N.Y./New Paltz) combining for back-to-back-to-back treys. Sowah added one more three-pointer for good measure before halftime, but senior guard Connor Fedge dropped in a layup right before the buzzer to spell out the halftime tally of 46-37 in favor of New Paltz.
 
The Hawks went on a modest 6-0 run early in the second half, and they gained their first of two 16-point leads after Cone-Douglas buried a three-pointer with 13:19 to go in regulation. After a Lyons layup, Sowah answered back with another two points for the Hawks, and from that point forward, Geneseo positioned itself for its decisive comeback.
 
New Paltz shot 42.6 percent (29-of-68) from the floor for the game, but its field-goal percentage had dropped to that point after a 1-of-10 performance in overtime. Both teams took care of the ball, with New Paltz committing 13 turnovers to Geneseo's 10, and Geneseo held a 40-35 cushion in rebounds.
 
Sowah notched a double-double to lead the Hawks, scoring 20 points and adding 10 rebounds. Graduate student guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) and Donovan also chipped in with 15 and 12 points, respectively, while Seniuk rounded out New Paltz's double-digit scorers with 11 points. Senior guard Andrew Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School of Art and Design) and Donovan helped key the offense with eight and six assists, respectively.
 
Geneseo received three double-digit scorers in Lyons (24), Fedge (24) and Decker (17), and Fedge added five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Lyons completed the double-double with 11 boards.