GENESEO, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo senior forward Gordon Lyons totaled 21 points and 13 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season to lead the Knights to the 80-71 victory over Fredonia, Friday, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) men's basketball action.

Four other Knights scored in double-digits, including senior forward James McKenna (15), senior guard Andy Drescher (12), first-year guard Kevin Crockett (12) and junior forward Nick Fessenden (10).

Geneseo's night at the free throw line proved to be the difference as the Knights converted 27-of-32 attempts from the charity stripe, including a 9-of-11 showing by Lyons. 

"I thought there were points in the game we played really well, but there were also points where we looked really sluggish, and Fredonia did a great job of making us pay for it," said head coach Steve Minton. "In the end, it was our free throw shooting that carried us, along with some solid defensive play by several individuals. Nick (Fessenden) had his best all-around game at both ends of the court, while I was pleased with the way (first year guard Charlie Zaephel and sophomore guard Jack Eisenberg) pushed the pace in the second half and allowed us to make some things happen in transition. Gordon  (Lyons) had another outstanding game as well. "

Fredonia (1-9, 0-6 SUNYAC) took an early 13-4 lead with 15:07 on the clock, but the Knights chipped away at the Blue Devil lead, using a 16-2 spurt to turn a 21-15 deficit at 10:04 into a 31-23 lead with 3:23 remaining in the half. McKenna scored 10-unanswered points on his own to close out the run. 

Fredonia finished the half with a 13-2 run of its own, including a three-pointer by Robert Lyles in the final seconds, to carry a 36-33 edge into the locker room. 

Trailing, 44-39, at the 15:48 mark of the second half, a four-point play by Crockett and a three-point play by senior forward Devon Anderson helped Geneseo tie the game, 46-46, at 15:05. A 16-7 spurt gave the Knights their largest lead of the night, 62-53, at the 8:00 mark. 

Fredonia responded with a 13-3 run of its own to lead, 66-63, with 4:11 on the clock, but Geneseo finally was able to pull away, building its lead up to eight at the final horn. The Knights connected on 13-of-14 free throws down the stretch, including a perfect 8-for-8 by Drescher, to secure the win. 

Lyons moved into sixth-place on Geneseo's all-time scoring list, surpassing Joe Zera '05 (1,339) with 1,351 points to date. Zera coached Lyons during his high school career at Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y.

Geneseo returns to action on Saturday, hosting Buffalo State at 2:00 p.m. in SUNYAC play.