OSWEGO, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team led by as many as six points in the first half and shot 85 percent (17-of-20) from the free-throw line, but the Hawks ended up falling, 75-59, to SUNY Oswego in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action on Friday night at Max Ziel Gymnasium.
 
After Oswego scored on its first possession of the game, the Hawks rattled off eight straight points, and a made jumper by sophomore forward Brandon Tolliver (Riverhead, N.Y./Riverhead) handed New Paltz an 8-2 lead 4:39 into the contest. Junior guard Brian Sortino drained a 3-pointer for the Lakers on their next possession before senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) countered with a made jumper on the Hawks' next trip down the floor.
 
Oswego proceeded to go on a 9-0 spurt to seize a four-point lead, which it would not relinquish the rest of the game. The Lakers, who led by a 43-32 score at the half, swelled the margin as large as 22 points late in the second half to cruise to the win.
 
New Paltz drops to 2-13 overall (1-8 SUNYAC) with the loss and visits SUNY Cortland next tomorrow at 4 p.m. Oswego rises to 11-5 overall (4-5 SUNYAC) with the win and hosts SUNY Oneonta tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
The Hawks excelled at the free-throw line, knocking down 85 percent (17-of-20) of their shots. New Paltz shot 35.2 percent (19-of-54) from the field compared to Oswego's 44.6 percent (29-of-65) clip, and both teams grabbed 37 rebounds. The Lakers were able to dictate the tempo largely due to their 3-point shooting in the first half, hitting 9-of-18 (50 percent) treys.
 
Junior forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) keyed the Hawk attack with 13 points, while freshman guard Matt Misser (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) and Rosa added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Misser's total served as a career-high, while Rosa stuffed the stat sheet with four steals, four rebounds and two assists in addition to his 10 points.
 
For Oswego, senior guard Kyle Covley drained a game-high 24 points, while Sortino and senior guard/forward Alex Rawa added 21 and 10 points, respectively. Senior center Mark Candelario pulled down 10 rebounds in 26 minutes coming off the bench, while Sortino handed out four assists.