NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team dropped a 90-67 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) decision to Catskill Cup rival SUNY Oneonta on Friday evening at the Hawk Center.
 
Following Friday's contest, Oneonta holds a 14-10 lead in the Catskill Cup standings. The Hawks will look to get points back in the Catskill Cup standings on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. when they make their annual trip up to Oneonta.
 
While New Paltz competed with Oneonta early on in the contest, the Red Dragons relied on a 27-3 run that spanned from the end of the first half to the first few minutes of the second stanza to open up a commanding lead.
 
New Paltz shot 40.7 percent (22-of-54) from the floor and 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the line, while Oneonta finished with a 56.7 percent (34-of-60) clip from the field and knocked down 42.3 percent (11-of-26) of its 3-pointers. The Red Dragons held a 34-27 margin in rebounds while scoring 39 points off 25 Hawk giveaways. Oneonta played particularly well in transition, scoring 18 fastbreak points.
 
New Paltz drops to 1-11 overall (0-6 SUNYAC) and next hosts SUNY Fredonia on Friday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m. Oneonta rises to 10-3 overall (5-1 SUNYAC) and next entertains Buffalo State on Friday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
 
Oneonta controlled the momentum in the early stages of the contest, opening up a six-point lead on four different occasions, the last of which staked the Red Dragons to a 23-17 advantage. Sophomore guard Dylan Balducci(Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) knocked down a 3-pointer and senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) scored on a layup on back-to-back possessions for the Hawks before Oneonta went 1-of-2 at the line on its next trip down the floor. Senior guard Keegan Donovan (Groton, N.Y./Groton) converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play to give New Paltz a 25-24 edge with 7:58 to go in the first half, which proved to be the home team's only lead of the contest.
 
The Red Dragons closed the half on a 17-3 scoring spree to take a 40-28 lead into the locker rooms. Oneonta hit several shots from beyond the arc in the opening minutes of the second half, scoring the first 11 points of the new period to break open a 51-28 lead. Oneonta led by as many as 35 in the second half, though the Hawks did end the game on a 7-0 run.
 
Junior forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) netted 12 points off 5-of-7 shooting from the floor to key the Hawk attack, while Donovan buried 11 points and doled out three assists in just 14 minutes coming off the bench.
 
Four Red Dragons reached double figures, led by senior guard Seth Thomsen's 15. Senior forward Jackson Zuvic and sophomore guard Ian Schupp drained 13 points apiece, with Schupp's total coming off the bench, while senior forward Mikey McElroy tallied 11 points. Senior guard Jack Dignan maintained his SUNYAC lead in assists per game, handing out eight of the Red Dragons' 25 helpers in the victory.