WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team benefited from a missed free throw by the College of Mount Saint Vincent with one second left in regulation to force overtime, but the Dolphins outscored the Hawks, 10-8, in the extra session to pull out an 88-86 victory over New Paltz on Friday during the opening round of the Williams Invitational hosted by Williams College.
 
New Paltz overcame two six-point deficits midway through the second half, the second of which gave Mount Saint Vincent a 61-55 lead. The Hawks ended up whittling away at the deficit little by little, and following a 21-11 run, New Paltz seized a 76-73 lead with 28 seconds left. The Hawks fouled the Dolphins on their next possession to prevent the possibility of a game-tying 3-pointer, and Mount Saint Vincent's sophomore forward Ammad Alkhulaidi sank both free throws to draw the Dolphins within one.
 
Senior guard Keegan Donovan (Groton, N.Y./Groton) was fouled on the Hawks' next possession and made both of his free throws before sophomore guard Madison Martinez made it a one-point game once again with two made free throws with seven seconds left. New Paltz was unable to hit its free throws on its next possession, giving Mount Saint Vincent six seconds to score before the buzzer. Following a missed 3-pointer, Alkhulaidi came down with an offensive rebound and was fouled with one second left. Alkhulaidi made the first to tie the score before missing the second, which sent the game into overtime.
 
Mount Saint Vincent kicked off the overtime session with a 6-0 run, but New Paltz countered with a 5-1 scoring spree, and a free throw by junior guard Eric Regenbogen (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) pulled the Hawks within two (86-84) with nine seconds left in the overtime period. The Dolphins iced the game with two free throws after being fouled with five seconds remaining, while junior center Taylor Mulvey (Rotterdam, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) hit a jumper right before the buzzer to spell the final score of 88-86.
 
New Paltz drops to 1-2 overall with the loss and faces Salem State University tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in the consolation game. Mount Saint Vincent rises to 1-1 and squares off with host Williams in the championship game tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
Both teams played evenly in the early goings of the contest until the Hawks went on a 15-4 run, with three consecutive 3-pointers giving New Paltz a 33-21 edge. Mount Saint Vincent closed the half on an 8-2 spurt, however, to draw within six (37-31).
 
The two squads traded points to start the second half, and New Paltz's high-water mark of the period came after a Regenbogen jumper handed the Hawks a 44-36 cushion. The Dolphins went on an 18-8 run to take the lead, which they held onto until freshman guard/forward Nick Paquette (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) gave New Paltz a 74-73 lead with 59 seconds to go in regulation.
 
New Paltz had five student-athletes reach double figures in scoring, led by Donovan, who netted 18 points. Junior forwards Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) and Brandon Guest (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) and senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) scored 17, 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Regenbogen added 11 points coming off the bench. Guest completed the double-double—the first of his young Hawk career—by grabbing 10 rebounds, all of which came on the defensive glass.
 
For Mount Saint Vincent, sophomore guard Matthew Sowah drained a game-high 20 points in 26 minutes coming off the bench, while Alkhulaidi (17), sophomore guard Jamir Ferebee (15), Martinez (14) and sophomore guard Mike Mulligan (12) joined him in double figures. Alkulaidi also finished with a double-double, adding 16 rebounds to go along with his 17 points.