NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team netted 45 second-half points after trailing, 33-29, at halftime to cruise to a 74-57 non-conference win over regional rival Mount Saint Mary College Tuesday night at the Hawk Center, marking the first win of 2014-15 for the Hawks.

In a rivalry that has featured many close games in recent memory, New Paltz prevailed Tuesday in a contest that truly was a tale of two halves. After a first half that saw Mount Saint Mary hold the lead for 15:10, New Paltz came out firing in the second stanza and broke open a double-digit advantage midway through the period. It marked the Hawks' first win over the Knights since the 2010-11 season; incidentally, their last victory in the series occurred at the Hawk Center as well.

New Paltz rises to 1-4 overall with the win and will now take a week and a half to prepare for its State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener on Friday, Dec. 5, at SUNY Plattsburgh. Mount Saint Mary falls to 0-3 with the loss and hosts Maritime College on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in both its home and Skyline Conference opener.

Both teams battled for the lead early, with neither side claiming more than a four-point advantage until the Knights went on a 7-0 run and claimed a 22-13 edge off a 3-pointer by freshman guard Tyler McDine with 8:57 left before halftime. The Hawks would not let Mount Saint Mary build on that momentum, though, as the Knights held a nine-point lead just once more in the half before New Paltz chipped away.

The momentum starting swinging in the Hawks' favor toward the end of the first half, as a fastbreak layup by senior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) and a 3-pointer by sophomore guard/forward Joe Tino(Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings) pulled New Paltz within two at 31-29 with 1:02 to go before halftime. The Knights went 2-of-4 on free throws down the stretch in the half to take a 33-29 lead into the locker rooms.

The two teams traded points in the early goings of the second stanza, but a 6-0 Hawk scoring spree that was capped off by a Sowah layup gave New Paltz a 41-35 lead, which it would not relinquish the remainder of the contest. Mount Saint Mary stayed within striking distance of the Hawks up until a 9-0 New Paltz spurt midway through the half staked the home team to a 58-46 advantage. The Hawks never led by less than double digits from that point forward, and they posted their biggest lead of the night (17) twice in the final two minutes.

New Paltz shot an efficient 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the field for the contest, which included 44 points in the paint, and the Hawks also held the upper hand in rebounds (45-34). Mount Saint Mary was limited to just 33.3 percent (20-of-60) shooting from the floor.

Senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) and Sowah tied for the game high in points with 20, and each registered a double-double. Sowah grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to complete his double-double, while Rosa corralled 12 boards in addition to stuffing the stat sheet with six assists, three steals and a block. Junior forward Kevin Roach (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) also reached double-digit scoring figures with 11 points.

For Mount Saint Mary, sophomore forward Owen Heath scored a team-high 12 points in 19 minutes coming off the bench, while junior guard Stephen Steyer and McDine each netted 11 points.