NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team led early in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game against SUNY Oswego on Tuesday evening at the Hawk Center, but the Lakers ended up pulling away in a 73-57 victory.
 
Both teams engaged in a shootout in the opening minutes of the contest, with senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa(North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) scoring 13 points in the first 5:30 of play to give New Paltz an early 18-14 lead. The Lakers, who are the defending SUNYAC champions, countered with nine unanswered points to post a 23-18 advantage, and from that point forward, Oswego never trailed. The Lakers led by as many as 14 points in the first half and entered the intermission with a 41-30 lead.
 
New Paltz kept within striking distance in the early goings of the second stanza, with layups by junior forwardBrandon Guest (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) and junior forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) on back-to-back possessions twice drawing the Hawks within 10 points. Oswego, however, put the game out of reach with a 15-5 run, leading by as many as 22 points down the stretch.
 
New Paltz drops to 4-16 overall (3-11 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Geneseo on Friday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. Oswego rises to 15-6 overall (8-6 SUNYAC) with the win and visits SUNY Potsdam next on Friday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m.
 
Oswego shot 45.6 percent (31-of-68) from the floor on the game and held a 43-35 edge in rebounds. Both teams played a relatively clean game, as they combined for just 19 personal fouls and 21 turnovers. New Paltz shot well from 3-point range, knocking down 43.8 percent (7-of-16) of its shots from beyond the arc.
 
Rosa and Guest led New Paltz offensively with 18 and 15 points, respectively, while Guest fell just short of the double-double with nine rebounds. Guest, Seniuk and freshman guard Matt Misser (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) kept the attack moving with three assists apiece.
 
For Oswego, junior guard Brian Sortino netted a game-high 20 points and added a game-high six assists, while junior forward Mykelle Krecko drained 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.