NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team posted a 35-34 halftime lead and shot 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from beyond the arc on the evening, but the Hawks ended up falling, 77-69, to Springfield College in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at the Hawk Center.
 
Senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) scored 17 points for New Paltz while adding five assists, three rebounds, two steals in a block. Freshman guard/forward Nick Paquette (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) joined him in double figures with 15 points in his first career start, while junior guard Eric Regenbogen (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) drained 11 points in 21 minutes coming off the bench. Junior forward Brandon Guest (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) fell just short of a double-double, finishing with nine points and 11 rebounds.
 
For Springfield, graduate student guard Josh Altman and senior guard Alex Garstka tied for the game-high in points with 18 apiece, with Garstka's coming in 21 minutes coming off the bench. Senior guard Josh Downes and sophomore guard Andy McNulty chipped in with 16 and 10 points, respectively, while senior forward Larry Piretra grabbed 10 rebounds.
 
New Paltz drops to 1-7 overall with the loss and returns to action against non-conference Kean University following the turn of the calendar year on Saturday, Jan. 2, at 1 p.m. Springfield rises to 3-3 with the win and returns to the hardwood on Thursday, Dec. 10, when it visits Westfield State University.
 
The Hawks relied on precision shooting from distance in the first half, knocking down 3-pointers to keep pace with Springfield, a 2015 NCAA Division III Tournament team. In an opening stanza that saw back-and-forth play throughout, New Paltz built up a 27-21 cushion thanks to a 6-0 run that was spurred by a pair of 3-pointers by sophomore guard Dylan Balducci (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa). The Pride drew within one point on three occasions down the stretch in the half, and with the chance to take the lead under 10 seconds, Springfield was unable to convert on a layup and a tip-in attempt, giving New Paltz a 35-34 edge heading into the locker rooms.
 
After the Pride scored the opening bucket of the second half, Springfield controlled the momentum and the lead until New Paltz countered with a 5-0 spurt midway through the stanza, and a layup by junior forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) tied the score at 48-all. Rosa ended up knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to give New Paltz the lead on back-to-back possessions, but a 19-4 Springfield scoring spree ultimately gave the Pride the cushion they needed to hold on for the win.
 
New Paltz shot 41 percent (25-of-61) from the floor on the evening and limited Springfield to 26.3 percent (5-of-19) shooting from 3-point range. The Pride did, however, finish with a 47-36 advantage in rebounds, and they scored 15 points off 18 Hawk turnovers.