Box Score Geneseo, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team were looking for a sweep over hosting SUNY Geneseo Friday, but had trouble limiting two of the Knights' top players, while struggling to find its consistency on the offensively end and ultimately fell, 81-67.
 
The Hawks (7-15 overall, 4-11 SUNYAC) couldn't match SUNY Geneseo (13-9, 10-5) offensively, and fell into a 22-point hole midway through the first half.
 
Backed by 16 first-half points by Dylan Balducci, SUNY New Paltz battled back to cut the deficit to 11 at the break and built on that momentum to open up the following 20 minutes. Balducci and Tristan Wissemann led the way, netting their team's first 10 points to get the Hawks within five early in the half.
 
But following SUNY New Paltz's run, the Knights quickly called a timeout and regrouped with six-straight points to push its lead back to 11. The Hawks couldn't re-gain its shooting touch, which allowed SUNY Geneseo to keep its large cushion and finish with the double-digit win.
 
"We started shooting better in the start of the second half, but did not sustain it," said SUNY New Paltz coach Keith Kenney. "We need to execute offensively better [Saturday] and limit our turnovers."
 
Balducci and Wissemann led the Hawks offensively, combining for 44 of their team's 67 points. Balducci finished with a team-high 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the floor, including 5-for-8 from 3, while Wissemann recorded 20 points on 6-for-15 shooting from the field, including 3-for-9 from the arc and added eight rebounds.
 
Quinn Carey carried the Knights with 31 points and four rebounds, while teammate Tommy Eastman followed with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
 
"They got a great game from Carey and Eastmen," said Kenney. "Especially Carey, he shot the ball extremely well."
 
SUNY New Paltz out-rebounded SUNY Geneseo, 38-33, but the Knights out-shot the Hawks, hitting 52 percent from the field and nearly 38 percent from 3, while SUNY New Paltz made 37 percent from the floor and 35 percent from the arc.
 
The Hawks hope to bounce back Saturday when they take on The College at Brockport at 3 p.m. Be sure to follow @nphawks on Twitter and @newpaltzhawks on Instagram and Facebook for updates, scores, recaps and more!