Box Score New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team tallied another conference win Friday, keeping visiting Buffalo State to a season-low in a commanding, 70-53 victory.
 
"Getting this win was so important, trying to get some type of momentum going into Saturday and hopefully get back into the swing of things," said Hawks senior Brandon Guest. "Trying to keep hope alive and make sure that all the work we've been putting in has been equated for."
 
The win put an end to a four-game losing streak for SUNY New Paltz (5-11 overall, 2-7 SUNYAC) and also put them a game ahead of the Bengals (6-10, 2-8), whose two conference victories came against SUNY Potsdam.
 
"I think more importantly it was breaking our losing streak," said Hawks coach Keith Kenney. "I think we just kind of exhaled just now. We really needed a win I think for our spirits. And yeah, it was good to not have to play a close game and push out a lead."
 
It was a back-and-forth first half for SUNY New Paltz (5-11 overall, 2-7 SUNYAC) and the Bengals (6-10, 2-8), with six different lead changes along the 20 minutes, including in the final seconds of the half.
 
Brandon Guest put an exclamation point on the first half with an emphatic dunk in transition following a Bengals turnover, which gave the Hawks the one-point advantage at the break, 33-32.
 
Malik Turner hit the opening shot of the second half that gave Buffalo State back the lead, but Guest countered not long after to put SUNY New Paltz back on top, and from that point forward from the 19 minute, 5 second mark of the second, the Hawks never trailed again in the game.
 
"We had to just follow the game plan and stick with what coach was telling us. Coach will always lead us in the right direction," Guest said. "As long as we listen to him and execute what he says, we'll always be in position to win games. Whether it is D-ing up and getting rebounds or if it's attacking the basket hard, we just got to do what we're told and execute."
 
SUNY New Paltz took advantage of 19 Bengals turnovers, capitalizing with 17 points off those mistakes and added eight points in transition.
 
But where the game was won was on the glass and on the defensive end. Guest led the charge on the boards, as he ripped down 14 rebounds, five of which on the offensive glass. As a team, the Hawks out-rebounded Buffalo State, 48-31, including 18-6 on the offensive boards.
 
"They have two really good players at the power forward and center position, so we just decided to pack it in, double-team the big guy when he caught it and play a lot of zone, force them to shoot from the outside and thankfully, it worked," said SUNY New Paltz coach Keith Kenney. "We talked about [rebounding], because like I said, their power forward and their center average 20 rebounds between the two of them, so we talked about fighting on the glass. That was our number one key to the game, and they did it. They fought."
 
It was also the Hawks' best statistical defensive performance of the season, holding a team, which went into the game averaging about 82 points a contest, to a season-low 53 points — a season-low for SUNY New Paltz's defense as well.
 
"It means a lot to hold a team to low numbers," Guest said. "Coach says all the time, basketball is a game of numbers and if we hold a team to about 60 point or below we should be in every single game and give ourselves an opportunity to win it. We actually hit that mark tonight, and we put ourselves in good position."
 
Guest finished with a double-double, tallying 16 points to go along with his 14 rebounds, while also adding four assists, a block and a steal in 29 minutes of action.
 
But offensively SUNY New Paltz was led by sophomore forward Matthew English, who finished with a season-high 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field — also a season-high.
 
"I think he played really smart," Kenney said of English. "He used shot fakes and kind of got the other guy away from the basket, which was our game plan. So yeah, he played a really integral part to our offense. That was key."
 
The Hawks are looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this year. In fact, the last time SUNY New Paltz won two in a row was January, 2015.
 
"Obviously we know we're capable of winning tomorrow and winning two in a row is something we haven't done all year, so it is something that we're looking for," Kenney said. "Especially since we're coming down our home games the rest of the year, so tomorrow is vital. It doesn't mean much tonight if we can't get tomorrow."
 
SUNY New Paltz is set to face Fredonia State in the Hawk Center at 3 p.m. Saturday. Be sure to follow @nphawks on Twitter and @newpaltzhawks on Instagram and Facebook for live updates, highlights, game recaps and more!