NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team kicked off the 2015-16 season with a nail-biting 70-68 non-conference victory over cross-river rival Vassar College on Friday night at the Hawk Center, relying on strong defense in the waning moments of the game to come up with the win.
 
After Vassar's senior guard Erikson Wasyl drained a 3-pointer with 57 seconds remaining to draw the Brewers within two at 70-68, New Paltz milked nearly 20 seconds off the clock before the Brewers came up with a defensive stop to regain possession. Following a missed 3-pointer and a subsequent offensive board, Vassar used its final timeout with 18 seconds left.
 
The Brewers chewed some clock before sophomore guard Jesse Browne drove down a wide-open left wing and took what appeared to be an easy layup, but senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) leaped up and swatted the ball away. Wasyl then grabbed the offensive board but was unable to convert, and the ball squirted into the backcourt. With two seconds remaining, Vassar corralled the ball in the backcourt and tried to call a timeout. With no timeouts left, the Brewers were charged with a technical foul, and after a missed Hawk free throw, Vassar got the ball back. The Brewers got a decent look from just inside the half-court line, but the ball clanked off the neck of the rim, giving the Hawks the two-point victory.
 
New Paltz rises to 1-0 overall with the win and next visits Mount Saint Mary College on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. Vassar drops to 0-1 with the loss and next competes at the Rochester Tip-Off Tournament from Friday-Saturday, Nov. 20-21, at the University of Rochester.
 
Vassar came out hot out of the gates, nailing three consecutive 3-pointers to construct a 9-2 advantage. New Paltz ended up charging back with a 7-0 spurt midway through the first half, and a made layup by senior guard Keegan Donovan (Groton, N.Y./Groton) handed the Hawks a 20-19 lead. The two teams traded points until Vassar went on a 7-0 run, with a made free throw by freshman center Paul Grinde handing the Brewers a 37-28 edge.
 
Vassar's lead swelled as high as 11 points, but a pair of free throws by senior forward/center Alex Perlman(Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) and a 3-pointer by Rosa trimmed the deficit to six. Browne got two points back for Vassar off of a pair of free throws with nine seconds left, but junior forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) punctuated the period with a successful put-back attempt right before time expired.
 
The Brewers ended up pushing their lead back out to 11 with 16:15 to go in regulation, but the Hawks scored seven unanswered points in response, with a dunk by junior forward Brandon Guest (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) pulling New Paltz within four at 53-49. Following a Brewer basket, the Hawks proceeded to go on a 10-0 run that ultimately fueled their momentum for the next few minutes. New Paltz's high-water mark of the evening came with 5:29 remaining, as Perlman knocked down a free throw to give the Hawks a 10-point lead (68-58). While the Brewers closed the game on a 10-2 run, they ultimately ran out of time, as New Paltz escaped with the season-opening win.
 
Both teams were nearly even on the stat sheet, with Vassar shooting 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the floor and New Paltz shooting 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field. New Paltz held a slight 34-33 edge in rebounds, while the Brewers committed 16 turnovers to the Hawks' 12.
 
Rosa played one of the best games of his career, scoring 27 points while adding seven rebounds and a block. Guest also reached double figures, scoring 10 points in his first game as a Hawk. Donovan dished out a game-high six assists, while junior center Taylor Mulvey (Rotterdam, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) collected two blocks.
 
For Vassar, Grinde stuffed the stat sheet, notching a double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) while also contributing with three blocked shots. Browne and sophomore forward Spencer Einhorn joined Grinde in double figures with 19 and 11 points, respectively.