Box Score Box Score

FREDONIA, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (11-7, 7-5 SUNYAC) won, 48-43, over SUNY Fredonia (5-14, 2-11 SUNYAC) on Friday evening in Steele Hall in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.

With the victory, head coach Dagan Nelson has equaled his career-high total for wins in a season. Nelson's other 11-win campaign came last year when the Hawks went 11-15.

Friday's meeting between the two teams starkly contrasted their previous clash, as they combined for 196 points in a 101-95 New Paltz victory on Jan. 8. That contest served as New Paltz's highest scoring output of the season. However, Friday was a reversal in style of play, as the slower pace of action led to the Hawks' lowest scoring output of the 2010-11 campaign.

New Paltz scored the first 11 points of the contest and controlled the pace of the game until Fredonia went on a 9-0 run that spanned from the eight-minute mark to the 3:04 mark. After Dalton Kashmer drained a three-point bucket, the Blue Devils came within one at 16-15. The Hawks built upon their cushion in the waning minutes of the period, and they took a 22-17 advantage into the break.

Fredonia hit its stride early in the second, as three-pointers from Dior Jackson and Damien Goodwin II helped the Blue Devils knot the tally at 25-all with 18:17 to play in regulation. The Hawks pushed the lead out in their favor once again, holding a seven-point cushion twice midway through the half. Fredonia went blow-for-blow with New Paltz down the stretch, and Branden McKenney brought the Blue Devils within two at 45-43 with 1:04 remaining in regulation. Junior guard Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y.) went 3-for-3 on free-throw attempts in the final eight seconds, which wound up providing the margin of victory.

The Blue Devils shot 52.4 percent in the second half off 11-of-21 shooting, but New Paltz staved them off due to a respectable 13-of-19 (68.4 percent) showing at the charity stripe. The Hawks won the rebounding battle, 35-33.

Taylor paced the Hawks with game-highs in points (13) and steals (4), while sophomore guard/forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J.) and junior forward/center Daniel Olsen (Stafford Springs, Conn.) posted matching totals in points with eight each. Olsen also added eight rebounds.

Adam Smith led Fredonia with 12 points and added eight rebounds. Monahan also chipped in with nine points.

New Paltz returns to the court tomorrow at 4 p.m., taking on Buffalo State in Buffalo, N.Y., in a SUNYAC tilt.