NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Freshman guard/forward Nick Paquette (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) netted a career- and game-high 16 points and added seven rebounds in 27 minutes of action coming off the bench, but the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team fell, 69-54, to SUNY Potsdam in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contest on Saturday afternoon at the Hawk Center.
 
Potsdam never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 14-3 lead thanks to strong shooting from the floor. The Hawks regained some momentum going on a 7-0 run, and a Paquette layup pulled New Paltz within four at 14-10. That served as the high-water mark for the Hawks, as Potsdam swelled its lead to 10 (33-23) before the halftime intermission.
 
While the Bears received a made layup by freshman forward/guard Dante Langley on the opening possession of the second half, the Hawks scored four unanswered points off a made bucket by junior forward Brandon Guest(Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) and a pair of free throws by senior guard Keegan Donovan (Groton, N.Y./Groton) to cut the deficit to single digits. That would be the closest New Paltz would get in the final 20 minutes of play, as Potsdam led by as many as 19 in the winning effort.
 
New Paltz drops to 1-6 overall (0-2 SUNYAC) with the loss and looks to get back in the win column on Tuesday, Dec. 8, when it hosts Springfield College, a 2015 NCAA Division III Tournament qualifier, at 8 p.m. in the Hawk Center. Potsdam rises to 1-6 overall (1-1 SUNYAC) with the victory and visits St. Lawrence University next on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 4 p.m.
 
New Paltz shot 29.8 percent (17-of-57) from the floor and was hurt by a 45.7 percent (16-of-35) showing at the free-throw line. The Hawks did, however, force the Bears into 17 turnovers. Potsdam shot 38.1 percent (24-of-63) from the field and finished with a 50-39 cushion in rebounds.
 
Beyond Paquette, who scored his 16 points off 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 shooting from the line, Donovan also reached double figures in scoring, draining 12 points. Senior forward/center Alex Perlman(Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) grabbed nine rebounds, eight of which came in the first half, while Donovan, senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) and freshman guard Matt Misser (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) tallied two steals apiece.
 
For Potsdam, Langley led the way with 14 points, while senior guard Joe Estramonte and sophomore forward Josh Blagrove added 13 points apiece. Blagrove nearly obtained a double-double with nine rebounds, while freshman forward Nate Wyatte dished out four assists and grabbed eight boards.