NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – It came down to the last possession, but the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team was unable to score in the final seconds, as the Hawks lost a 73-72 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game to Buffalo State on Friday night at the Hawk Center.
 
With a SUNY Cortland upset win over SUNY Oswego, New Paltz falls out of playoff contention. The Hawks, who drop to 10-14 overall and 8-9 in the SUNYAC, close out their season tomorrow afternoon against Fredonia at 2 p.m. Buffalo State (15-8, 11-6 SUNYAC), meanwhile, locked up a spot in the SUNYAC Tournament and will fight for seeding tomorrow afternoon at Oneonta at 2 p.m.
 
The game came down to the wire, as back-to-back layups by junior forward/center Alex Perlman (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) and senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) erased a four-point deficit with 1:36 remaining in regulation. Sophomore guard Lovell Smith put the Bengals back on top during their next trip down the floor, and a made free throw by senior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) pulled New Paltz within one with 56 seconds left.
 
A costly turnover by senior guard Roderick Epps set the stage for a dramatic finish, as the Hawks milked 21 seconds off the clock setting up their offense. Perlman gave New Paltz a one-point lead after knocking down a midrange jumper from the right wing with 25 seconds left, and after that basket, the Hawks called their final timeout. Epps wound up hitting a deep 2-pointer with seven seconds remaining to put Buffalo State up one at 73-72. New Paltz pushed the ball down the length of the floor, and it was knocked out of bounds with two seconds left on the game clock. The Hawks were unable to cash in on a good look in the paint at the buzzer, and the Bengals escaped the Hawk Center with the win.
 
It looked like Buffalo State would run away with the game early, as the Bengals hit shots from deep and led by as many as eight points. The Hawks tied the score on the strength of a 7-0 run, and they took their first lead of the game with 1:05 before halftime after a Sowah free throw. Epps and Sowah traded baskets until a made free throw by Smith in the waning seconds of the half provided the halftime score of 40-all.
 
Both teams battled early on in the second half, but 3-pointers by junior forward Kevin Roach (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) and Rosa gave the Hawks a six-point lead (53-47). New Paltz's largest lead of the game came midway through the second stanza after a Sowah layup pushed the edge to 55-48. Buffalo State chipped away at the deficit, and a 5-0 run that was punctuated by an Epps layup ultimately gave the Bengals a 61-59 lead. Buffalo State did not trail from that point forward until Perlman scored on the late go-ahead jumper.
 
New Paltz shot 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the floor on the evening and limited Buffalo State to 38.2 percent (29-of-76) shooting. The Bengals did, however, finish with a 47-37 advantage in rebounds, while both teams scored 23 points off turnovers.
 
Sowah scored his 999th career point with a 20-point effort, which included 17 in the first half. He will look to be the 19th Hawk to join the 1,000-point club tomorrow in his final game as a collegiate basketball student-athlete. Roach also scored 20 points, while Rosa chipped in with 16. Perlman enjoyed a strong performance coming off the bench, netting seven points and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action, while Rosa continued his torrid defensive pace with five steals.
 
Epps posted a double-double for the Bengals, registering 21 points and 10 rebounds. Smith scored 18 points coming off the bench, while senior forward Chris Thompson rounded out Buffalo State's double-digit scorers with 12 points. Junior guard Derrick Fernandez finished with five assists, all of which came in the first half.