POTSDAM, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team led from start to finish in a 94-80 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory over SUNY Potsdam on Friday night at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium.
 
New Paltz posted its highest scoring output of the year, thanks in part to five Hawks reaching double figures. Senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) scored 27 points off 10-of-17 shooting from the floor to ignite the attack, while senior forward/center Alex Perlman (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland) added a career-high 18 points off 8-of-10 shooting from the floor coming off the bench. Junior forward Andrew Seniuk(Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur), senior guard Keegan Donovan (Groton, N.Y./Groton) and freshman guard/forward Nick Paquette (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) scored 16, 11 and 10 points, respectively, with Donovan's total coming in reserve duty. Junior forward Brandon Guest (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) also provided significant contributions, scoring seven points while adding 12 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and a steal.
 
The Hawks shot a season-best 56.9 percent (37-of-65) from the floor, including a 50 percent (13-of-26) mark from 3-point range, and 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from the free-throw line. New Paltz registered 21 points off 12 Potsdam giveaways, and the Hawks committed a season-low nine turnovers. The Bears did, however, finish with a 33-31 advantage in rebounds.
 
New Paltz rises to 4-14 overall (3-9 SUNYAC) with the win and closes out its North Country trip tomorrow with a 4 p.m. game at No. 24 SUNY Plattsburgh. Potsdam drops to 1-18 overall (1-11 SUNYAC) with the loss and entertains SUNY Oneonta tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
New Paltz controlled the tempo of the game from start to finish, beginning with a steal off of a failed alley-oop attempt on the first possession of the contest. The Hawks relied on a layup by Guest and two straight 3-pointers by Rosa to hop out to an early 8-0 lead. A modest 5-0 Bear spurt midway through the first half drew Potsdam within two points at 21-19, but a jumper by Paquette with 8:31 before halftime capped off a 9-1 Hawk run that staked New Paltz to a 30-20 advantage. The two teams traded points until Perlman sent New Paltz into the locker rooms with a 52-40 lead after hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
 
From that point forward, the Hawks never led by fewer than double digits. New Paltz's largest lead of the game (21 points) occurred on four different occasions in the final 10:02 of the contest, though Potsdam did trim the deficit to 13 points twice in the waning minutes of the game.
 
Potsdam, which shot 47.5 percent (28-of-59) from the floor as a team, received a 27-point, five-assist outing from senior guard Joe Estramonte. Freshman forward Serigne Kane and senior guard Mitch Lamerson chipped in with 15 and 11 points, respectively, while freshman guard Nosa Onabor provided 10 points coming off the bench. Kane completed the double-double with 14 rebounds.