FREDONIA, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team returned to its winning form on Friday night, topping SUNY Fredonia, 65-51, in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game at Steele Hall Fieldhouse.
 
The Hawks' defense clamped down in the first half, limiting the Blue Devils to just 12 points through 20 minutes of action. While Fredonia trimmed a 25-12 halftime deficit to three with 13:10 remaining in the second half, New Paltz answered with an 8-0 run that gave the Hawks the separation they needed to pull out the victory.
 
New Paltz rises to 7-7 overall (5-2 SUNYAC) with the win and wraps up its western New York trip tomorrow against Buffalo State at 2 p.m. Fredonia drops to 1-12 overall (0-9 SUNYAC) with the loss and hosts SUNY Oneonta tomorrow at 2 p.m.
 
The Hawks took advantage of the Blue Devils' offensive woes in the first half, opening up a 20-5 lead on the strength of a 13-0 spurt. Fredonia answered with a 7-0 tear, but junior forward Kevin Roach (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) scored the final five points of the opening period to spell the halftime score of 25-12.
 
The Blue Devils opened the second half with a 16-6 run, with a made free throw by sophomore forward Jovohn Owens trimming the deficit to three (31-28). After the Hawks' difference-making 8-0 spurt, they eventually used a 9-0 run to forge their largest lead of the night (19) after junior forward/center Alex Perlman (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) converted on a layup. Fredonia was unable to cut the deficit to single digits down the stretch, as New Paltz locked up the conference road win.
 
New Paltz once again had a strong performance from its bench, receiving 25 points from its reserves, and the Hawks scored 24 points off 23 Fredonia turnovers. New Paltz shot 34.3 percent (23-of-67) from the floor on the game but was able to hold Fredonia to 33.3 percent (16-of-48) shooting. Both teams finished with 37 rebounds.
 
Senior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) led the Hawks with his sixth double-double of the season, registering 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) also reached double-digit scoring figures with 10 points and added five rebounds, three steals and two assists.
 
For Fredonia, freshman forward Ian Helps and junior guard Alexander Grace scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Helps and junior guard Kyree Hull each grabbed seven rebounds.