Box Score

CORTLAND, N.Y. – Despite the fact that the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (6-7, 3-4 SUNYAC) scored the first six points of the game, the Hawks were done in by cold shooting from beyond the arc and turnovers in an 82-55 loss to SUNY Cortland (10-4, 6-2 SUNYAC) on Saturday afternoon at Corey Gym in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.

New Paltz shot just 5-of-22 (22.7 percent) from long range and turned the ball over 17 times. The team's shooting from the field overall also dipped below its season average, knocking down just 29.8 percent (14-of-47) of its shots. However, the Hawks once again showed poise at the free-throw line with an 81.5 percent (22-of-27) showing.

Cortland shot 41.4 percent (29-of-70) from the floor and held a 45-34 edge on the glass. Furthermore, the Red Dragons posted 43 bench points, and 12 different players scored.

Senior guard/forward Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) boasted a double-double with a game-high 22 points off 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line in addition to 11 rebounds. Junior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) was held to two points in the first half, but he scored nine points in the second stanza for 11 on the afternoon, serving as the only other Hawk to reach double figures. Devine also had two blocks.

Cortland placed four players in double figures. Jesse Winter and Harrison Hefele tied for the team-high in scoring with 15 points apiece, while Kevin McMahon and Brian Manning scored 15 and 12 points, respectively, coming off the bench. Winter handed out six assists, while teammate Nick Sutedjo dished out four in just 18 minutes of action.

Wichard made a layup and hit a three-pointer on the Hawks' first two offensive possessions of the game, and a made free throw by freshman forward/center Alan Siergiej (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) pushed the score to 6-0 in favor of the visitors. Cortland countered with a 9-0 run and never looked back. New Paltz twice got within 19 points—its smallest deficit of the second half—in the final 20 minutes of play with a three-pointer by senior guard/forward Jamal Lis-Simmons (Highland, N.Y./Highland) at 15:10 of the second half and a layup by Devine at 8:13 of the second half.

New Paltz returns to the Hawk Center next weekend, as it entertains The College at Brockport on Friday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. before hosting SUNY Geneseo at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21.