Box Score Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Despite cutting the lead to four with 4:45 remaining in the contest, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (10-7, 6-5 SUNYAC) fell to SUNY Plattsburgh (12-5, 8-2 SUNYAC) Saturday afternoon, 76-62, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.

The Hawks were led by sophomore guard/forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J.), who had 17 points and 11 rebounds. In addition, junior guard Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y.) notched 14 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y.) added a spark off the bench with seven points.

Plattsburgh was led by Chris Ruiz, who finished with a game-high 19 points, as well as R.J. Ponesse and Steve Thomas, who had 18 and 15 points, respectively.

With scoring at a premium in the first half, neither team was able to mount a significant run. On the half, New Paltz hit 24.2 percent (8-of-33) of its shots from the floor, while Plattsburgh shot at a 32.0 percent clip (8-of-25). The two teams traded the lead to start out the game, and New Paltz went on a 4-0 tear after a 4-all tie to create a four-point advantage in favor of the Hawks at 8-4 with 16:03 left to play in the half.

New Paltz would hold at least a share of the lead until Carl Munnerlyn's three-pointer gave the Cardinals a 14-13 advantage with 8:05 remaining in the period. The Hawks battled back, but Munnerlyn drained another three to put Plattsburgh back on top, 19-17, with five minutes to go in the half. New Paltz tied the score at 24-all at the 2:01 mark, but that would serve as the blue and orange's last lead of the tilt. The Cardinals closed the half on a 4-0 run to take a 28-24 edge into the intermission.

The Cardinals would start the half by increasing their lead, going on a 7-2 spurt to give themselves a 35-26 advantage with 17:04 remaining in the period. The Hawks would battle back, though, as Devine made a basket while getting fouled to cut the Hawk deficit to three (37-34).

Plattsburgh would eventually extend its lead to 52-41 on a Chris Ruiz floater with 8:57 remaining. The Hawks would storm back, and after a missed shot and a Plattsburgh rebound, Devine stole the ball and fed Taylor to cut the deficit to six at 52-46.

Plattsburgh would miss two free throws on its ensuing possession, and a sophomore guard Lorenzo Brown (Brooklyn, N.Y.) layup on the other end would further diminish the lead to four at 52-48. After Ruiz and junior guard Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y.) traded three-pointers to make the score 55-51, the Cardinals went on a 5-0 burst to put them up 60-51 with 3:16 left in the game. The Cardinals never looked back, and with 1:19 remaining and the outcome already solidified, Plattsburgh officially iced the game by going 3-of-4 on technical foul shots.

With their four-game home stand in the books, the Hawks look to the road, as they face SUNY Cortland on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 8 p.m. in SUNYAC action.