NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the floor and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the line in the second half to hold off Buffalo State, 81-77, for its first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) win of the 2015-16 season on Saturday at the Hawk Center.
 
New Paltz overcame a hot Buffalo State team early in the second half, as the Bengals scored on the first possession of the period to break a 36-all tie and led until junior forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) put the Hawks out in front, 58-56, off an old-fashioned 3-point play with 8:57 to go in regulation. The two teams traded points, though New Paltz led by as many as seven points down the stretch, the last of which came off a Seniuk layup with 3:48 remaining.
 
Buffalo State, which is in the hunt for a SUNYAC Tournament spot, answered with a 7-0 run, and a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Mike Henry with 1:36 left tied the score at 73-all. Freshman guard/forward Nick Paquette (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) got fouled right after the inbound pass on the Hawks' next possession and knocked down 1-of-2 free throws, though the second shot bounced off a Bengal defender out of bounds. New Paltz ran the shot clock down, and junior forward Brandon Guest (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) cut through the lane and scored to make it a 76-73 score in favor of the Hawks.
 
The Bengals answered back with a dunk by junior forward Leon Moise, and they forced a turnover on the Hawks' next possession with a chance to take the lead. New Paltz drew a charge on the fastbreak, which gave the Hawks the ball back with 34 seconds left. Freshman guard Matt Misser (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) got fouled and made two free throws, and Guest corralled the rebound on a Bengal miss on Buffalo State's next trip down the floor. Guest was fouled immediately with seven seconds left, and he knocked down both shots to give New Paltz a five-point cushion.
 
Buffalo State pushed the ball down the floor on its next possession, and junior guard Nico McLean got fouled on a 3-point attempt with five seconds to go. McLean made his first two shots before he misfired on the third, which ended up in the hands of senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West). Rosa was fouled immediately, but he made 1-of-2 free throws to give New Paltz a four-point lead. Buffalo State took a desperation 3-pointer from just inside the half-court line right before time expired, but the attempt missed the mark, giving New Paltz its first win since its season-opening triumph over Vassar College on Nov. 13, which also came in front of a raucous Hawk Center crowd.
 
New Paltz rises to 2-12 overall (1-7 SUNYAC) with the win and will look to carry its momentum into its next game on Friday, Jan. 29, at SUNY Oswego at 7:30 p.m. Buffalo State drops to 11-6 overall (5-5 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts conference-leading SUNY Plattsburgh on Friday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 p.m.
 
A see-saw battle ensued in the opening minutes of the contest, with neither team gaining separation until Buffalo State opened up an 18-13 lead off a 3-pointer by senior guard Kevin Marmolejos. Layups by senior forward/center Alex Perlman (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) and Seniuk brought the Hawks within one, and after a made free throw by Moise, sophomore guard Dylan Balducci (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) put New Paltz out in front with a 3-pointer. Both sides went back and forth down the stretch in the half, with the Hawks leading by as many as four. New Paltz appeared destined to take the lead into the locker rooms, but Buffalo State's junior guard Jordan Glover knocked down a midrange jumper from the left wing right before time expired to tie the score at 36-all.
 
Seniuk, a three-year starter for the Hawks, enjoyed a virtuoso performance that will inevitably go down as one of his best as a New Paltz student-athlete when all is said and done. He scored a career-high 24 points off 10-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the line, and he added four rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist. Paquette netted a career-high-tying 16 points off 6-of-8 shooting from the floor—including a 3-of-4 mark from 3-point range—while Guest scored several key points late to finish with 11. Rosa stuffed the stat sheet, collecting seven points, 10 rebounds, five assists and one steal.
 
For Buffalo State, Henry and McLean tied for the team lead in points with 13 apiece, while Marmolejos and Moise scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, coming off the bench.
 
New Paltz shot a season-best 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the field, and the Hawks also hit 50 percent (6-of-12) of their shots from long range. New Paltz also scored 12 points off 16 Buffalo State turnovers and poured in 36 points in the paint. Buffalo State held a 36-32 advantage in rebounds, with 16 of its boards coming on the offensive glass. The Bengals were held to 26.7 percent (4-of-15) shooting from 3-point distance and shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) overall from the field.