BUFFALO – As is usually the case when it faces Buffalo State at the Buffalo State Sports Arena, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team engaged the Bengals in a high-scoring game, but host Buffalo State wound up besting the Hawks, 95-89, in their State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) clash on Saturday.

New Paltz, which trailed by as many as 10 points late in the second half, whittled the deficit down to four a total of four times in the final two minutes, but Buffalo State had an answer offensively for each Hawk basket to hold on for the six-point win.

The Hawks shot an efficient 50 percent (31-of-62) from the floor on the game and shot 74.1 percent (20-of-27) from the line, but 20 turnovers that turned into 20 Bengal points in addition to Buffalo State's 45-36 edge in rebounds proved to be the difference.

New Paltz drops to 7-8 overall (5-3 SUNYAC) with the loss and will prepare for a five-game home stand, beginning with SUNY Oswego on Friday, Jan. 30, at 5:30 p.m. Buffalo State, which stretches its winning streak to six with the win, rises to 10-6 overall (6-4 SUNYAC) and next hosts SUNY Plattsburgh on Friday, Jan. 30, at 5:30 p.m.

Neither team was able to get any separation in the first half, with New Paltz gaining the largest advantage for either team in the opening stanza (34-29) after draining a 3-pointer with 4:06 before halftime. Buffalo State, however, closed the half on a 12-6 run to take a 41-40 lead into the locker rooms.

The back-and-forth play continued in the second half until the Bengals opened up a 62-53 advantage on the strength of a 7-0 spurt that was capped off by a made layup by sophomore guard Lovell Smith. New Paltz answered with a 7-0 surge of its own, with a pair of made free throws by sophomore forward Andrew Seniuk(Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) trimming the deficit to two at 62-60. That was the closest the Hawks would get the rest of the way, as Buffalo State found ways to score and prevent New Paltz from tying the game.

Senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) scored a team-high 24 points off 8-of-13 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line, while three other Hawks joined Rosa in double figures. Senior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) and sophomore guard Eric Regenbogen(Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) each poured in 16 points—with Regenbogen's total coming in 24 minutes off the bench—while junior forward Kevin Roach (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) drained 15 points off an efficient 6-of-8 mark from the floor. Sowah grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Roach chipped in with four steals and four assists.

Four Bengals reached double figures, too, led by senior guard Roderick Epps' 26. Senior guard Chris Cartwright (20), Smith (18) and senior forward Larry Rivers (14) all notched double-digit totals in points along with Epps. Junior guard Derrick Fernandez dished out a game-high 10 assists, while Cartwright added seven helpers to Buffalo State's cause.