Box Score Danbury, CT — A back-and-forth game for most of the contest, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team couldn't limit a Western Connecticut State University run down the stretch and ultimately took a 90-74 loss in its season opener Tuesday.
 
"We had some untimely turnovers and missed open shots and free throws down the stretch," said Hawks coach Keith Kenney. "We need to attack the basket more this season. I liked how we shared and moved the ball versus a 40-minute pressing team. It was a great effort on the road against a really good team. We did a lot of good things and will bounce back."
 
SUNY New Paltz (0-1) opened up with the game's first points, but it was the Colonials (1-1) who held onto the lead for most of the match up. Western Connecticut State couldn't get rid of the Hawks, however, as the visitors kept within two for the majority of the first 20 minutes. 
 
Cutting the deficit to one five times in the first half, SUNY New Paltz tied the game at 34 following two made free throws by Brandon Scott. Western Connecticut State answered with a 9-2 run, but a 3-pointer by Nick Paquette followed by a made free throw by Jake Passaretti cut the score, 45-43 going into halftime.
 
Tristan Wissemann opened up the second half with a 3 for the Hawks to give his team back the lead. Passaretti followed up with a traditional 3-point play, finishing a basket in transition, while taking contact on the foul. The three-point cushion was the most SUNY New Paltz saw the rest of the way, as the Colonials re-gained the lead with an 11-point run. Paquette tied the game once again, as his 3 pushed the stalemate to 66 with 11 minutes remaining in the game.
 
The Hawks kept grinding, slowly chipping away at the deficit and even took back control with 7:26 left. A steal by Paddy Parr resulted in a transition bucket by Isaiah Bien-Aise, which put SUNY New Paltz in front, 70-69. But again Western Connecticut State answered with another run, this time with eight unanswered points to create a seven-point cushion in a two-minute stretch. Passaretti put an end to the surge after hitting a pair of free throws on two straight trips to the line to trim the score, 77-74. But, the Hawks' offense stalled from there, unable to hit another basket the rest of the way.
 
As a team, SUNY New Paltz shot 35.1 percent from the floor and 69.7 percent from the foul line, while making 11-of-39 from behind the arc. The Hawks struggled with turnovers, totaling 27 in the game with the Colonials capitalizing with 29 points off those miscues.
 
Offense was evenly distributed for SUNY New Paltz with four players in double-figures including Paquette (15), Wissemann (14), Passaretti (12) and Scott Reisert (13). Reisert added six boards and three blocks, while Passaretti paced the team with eight assists and three steals. Parr led the team on the glass, pulling down 11 rebounds to go with three steals, three assists and two points.
 
The Hawks are back in action Friday for their home opener against Maritime College in the Hawk Center at 7 p.m. For everything #NPHawks including photos, video, recaps and highlights, be sure to follow @nphawks on Twitter and @newpaltzhawks on Facebook and Instagram.