Box Score Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (10-6, 6-4 SUNYAC) won a single-overtime thriller Friday night, defeating SUNY Potsdam (5-11, 4-5 SUNYAC) by a score of 73-68 in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.

New Paltz's win was sparked by the play of junior guard Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y.), who finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and junior guard Harris Wichard's (Merrick, N.Y.) best all-around game of the season. Wichard stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Sophomore guard/forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J.) and junior forward/center Daniel Olsen (Stafford Springs, Conn.) also helped pace the attack with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

The Bears were led by Curtis Pierce, who poured in a game-high 25 points to go along with 12 boards. Eddie Cross also reached double figures for the Bears with 16 points.

Both teams fought back and forth for the lead in the first half. With 14:15 remaining in the first stanza, junior guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y.) took a Devine pass and converted a three-pointer to tie the game at nine. The two squads continued to keep it close, and the Hawks benefited from Taylor's jumper that tied the game at 15 with 10:42 remaining.

Wichard caught freshman guard Lamard Herron's (Westbury, N.Y.) miss and put it in to give New Paltz a 24-21 advantage with 5:48 remaining in the first half. Potsdam outscored the Hawks 12-8 down the stretch in the first frame and entered halftime leading 33-32. The Bears had a strong first half from their leading scorer, Pierce, who scored 15 points through 20 minutes of action.

After assigning Devine to cover Potsdam's Pierce in the first half, New Paltz head coach Dagan Nelson made a defensive change in the second half, putting Taylor on Pierce in hopes of shutting down his offensive game.

Wichard's pull-up three-pointer at 13:59 gave the Hawks a 41-40 edge, and New Paltz gained its biggest lead of the game when Olsen converted off of a Taylor feed, putting the Hawks ahead, 47-43 (10:32).

The intensity picked up, as the game continued to be a nail-biter as it reached the two-minute mark. With 1:52 remaining in regulation, Devine smoothly hit two free throws to tie the game at 56-all. The Bears turned it over on their next possession, giving the Hawks the ball with the score still tied at 56.

After Taldi missed a go-ahead three-pointer, Pierce converted on a floater to give Potsdam a 58-56 lead with 33 seconds remaining. The Hawks answered on their next possession, tying the game as Taylor hit a jumper after spinning away from the defender.

After the Bears called timeout with 14.3 seconds remaining, Potsdam's Pierce missed on a layup attempt with two seconds to go, and after a New Paltz timeout, Rob Duquette saw his three-point attempt at the buzzer denied by the hand of Olsen.

With the Bears and the Hawks still vying for the lead and momentum in overtime, Taylor stole the ball and got fouled going to the rim. He knocked down two free throws, making the score 62-60 in favor of the Hawks with 3:38 remaining. Devine would later connect on a long-range three with 1:32 remaining in the period to give New Paltz a 68-66 advantage.

On their next possession, the Bears tied it with a jumper from Duquette. Olsen would grab an offensive rebound on the next Hawks possession and convert, putting the blue and orange ahead 70-68 with 41 seconds remaining. After Potsdam missed a field goal on its next possession, both teams scrambled for the loose ball, and New Paltz received possession on the jump ball.

After the Bears fouled Wichard, he connected on one of his two free throws to put the Hawks on top by a score of 71-68 with 22 seconds left. The Bears missed their attempt at a quick two, and after another failed attempt, Taylor grabbed the rebound and sped down the court, laying in the game-sealing bucket that provided the eventual margin of victory at 73-68 with four seconds left.

The Hawks look to ride this momentum tomorrow when they host SUNY Plattsburgh at 4 p.m. in a SUNYAC contest in the Hawk Center.