NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team held a 40-33 halftime lead and shot 70 percent (7-of-10) from 3-point range in the first half, but the Hawks were unable to hold on in a 66-64 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) loss to SUNY Fredonia on Friday at the Hawk Center.
 
The two teams battled in the early goings of the second half until Fredonia went on an 8-0 run to claim a 51-50 lead. Both teams went point for point until Fredonia went on a 5-0 tear to open up a 60-55 advantage, but the Hawks continued to hang tough, with a layups by junior forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) and junior forward Brandon Guest (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) tying the score at 62-all.
 
Fredonia's sophomore forward Ian Helps knocked down a pair of free throws on the Blue Devils' next trip down the floor before Guest cashed in on a layup on the Hawks' next possession to knot the tally at 64-all. Following a Fredonia timeout, Helps scored off a layup to give the visitors a 66-64 edge, and while New Paltz was unable to score on its next possession, Guest came up with a block on a Helps shot to give the Hawks the ball one final time with 23 seconds remaining. New Paltz was unable to find the game-winner on its last possession, and Fredonia escaped with a 64-62 win.
 
New Paltz drops to 1-12 overall (0-7 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts Buffalo State tomorrow at 4 p.m. Fredonia rises to 5-10 overall (4-5 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Oneonta tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
Neither team was able to create separation from one another in the early stages of the first half, but New Paltz built considerable momentum after a 12-2 run midway through the period. Guest capped off the surge by converting on a layup with 7:00 before halftime to hand the Hawks a 28-17 advantage. Fredonia whittled the deficit down to four, but the Hawks closed the half on a modest 10-7 run to spell the halftime score of 40-33.
 
Freshman guard/forward Nick Paquette (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) led the Hawks with 14 points off 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, which included several midrange jumpers. Senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, five assists, four steals and a block, while Guest posted nine points, four rebounds and three blocks.
 
For Fredonia, Helps notched game-highs in points (26) and rebounds (15), while junior guard Kareem Brown drained 14 points.
 
New Paltz shot 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the floor on the game, including a 34.8 percent (8-of-23) clip from beyond the arc. Fredonia, meanwhile, was limited to 37 percent (20-of-54) shooting from the field, but the Blue Devils shot 81.5 percent (22-of-27) from the line. Fredonia finished with a 40-33 edge in rebounds, though the New Paltz bench outscored the Blue Devils' reserves by a 21-18 margin.