Box Score Box Score
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (9-5, 5-3 SUNYAC) earned an important league win on Friday evening in the Hawk Center, topping SUNY Oneonta (5-10, 4-4 SUNYAC) by a 78-68 final in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.
Junior forward/center
Daniel Olsen (Stafford Springs, Conn.) had his biggest game in a Hawk uniform, leading New Paltz with a career-high 24 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore guard/forward
Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J.) contributed 13 points, while sophomore guard
Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y.) also scored 13 coming off the bench. Oneonta was led by Shane Gillette, who had 20 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and 7-of-8 shooting from the line. Troy Talbot and Terrence Parker notched 15 and 10 points, respectively, to round out the Red Dragons' double-digit scorers.
Olsen had a monster first half, scoring 13 of the Hawks' first 20 points. Both teams kept it close in the first stanza, with the Hawks leading 10-7 with 15 minutes remaining. New Paltz would go on a 20-9 run, as it increased its lead to 30-16 with 7:30 remaining. Oneonta would battle back, however, going on a 13-8 run and cutting the margin to 38-29 at halftime.
New Paltz would open up the second half strong, leading 54-44 with 12:54 left. Oneonta would regain the edge, however, as it led 56-55 with 9:43 left in the second half. New Paltz would go on a 16-10 spurt, leading 71-65 with just under two minutes remaining. Oneonta's comeback fell short, and the Hawks held on to win the game, 78-68.
On the night, New Paltz shot 50.9 percent from the field, which included a 50 percent mark from the perimeter off 5-of-10 shooting. In spite of its ability to regain the lead midway through the second frame, Oneonta was limited to 39.3 percent (11-of-28) shooting in the period and wound up knocking down 22-of-52 shots on the contest (42.3 percent).
The Hawks face a tough test on Tuesday, Jan. 25, as they face league-leading SUNY Oswego in the Hawk Center. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.
