Box Score Oneonta, NY – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team earned a sweep over SUNY Oneonta Saturday, as the Hawks (10-7 overall, 5-5 SUNYAC) went on the road and defeated the Red Dragons (8-9, 3-7), 69-52 to earn a two-game lead for the final spot in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) standings.

"A road win is always big, but we are not worried about playoffs, just the next game," said SUNY New Paltz coach Keith Kenney.

SUNY Oneonta came out with the opening lead and went ahead by as many as seven within the first five minutes, but the Hawks battled back and quickly trimmed the lead to one midway through the half following a 3-pointer by Tristan Wissemann and an offensive put-back by Nick Paquette.

Jake Passaretti gave SUNY New Paltz its first lead of the game with about nine minutes left before the break, as he knocked down back-to-back buckets to tie the score at 12 and then give his team the lead at 14-12. 

SUNY New Paltz never trailed from that point forward and started gaining momentum with a 19-3 run to end the half to help establish at 37-18 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.

Passaretti was a big part of the Hawks' late run to help establish a large cushion in the first half and midway through the second. The Holdbrook, NY native ultimately finished with a career-high 24 points on the night and knocked down 6-of-8 from the floor in the first half and 9-of-14 in the game, while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

"Jake was outstanding in his decision making of what to run on offense and when to attack," said Kenney. "Extremely proud of him and trust his decision making."

SUNY New Paltz ballooned its lead by as many as 25 early in the second half, but the Red Dragons started chipping away at the deficit and got within seven with about three minutes remaining. Paddy Parr knocked down a jumper following a defensive stop by the Hawks to put the lead back to nine.

With less than two minutes remaining, SUNY Oneotna fouled to slow down the clock and put Parr on the free throw line, who made one attempt to push his team ahead by 10. Two made free throws on the other end by the Red Dragons cut the difference down to eight, but on the ensuing offensive possession, Kenney ran an isolation at the top of the key for Passaretti. Passaretti crossed over his defender to get a step in front and gain momentum going down hill before kicking out a pass to a wide-open Wissemann in the corner for 3. Following the Wissemann trey, Parr came up with a steal on the other end and immediately found Scott Reisert running the floor. The Middletown, NY product got his transition bucket to go, while taking contact on the foul. He knocked down the ensuing free throw and the Hawks were quickly back up by double-figures once again, which was enough to close out with the win.

"I was happy at the end of the first half we had three starters on the bench and we got a big lead," Kenney said. "Oneonta is a great team and we withstood their run."

The Hawks had one of their best defensive performances on the season. They forced 14 Red Dragons turnovers, while holding leading scorers Kevin Mackin, Andres Rivera and Joseph Bull to just 13 and 10 points, respectively.

"Cory [Garcia] and Brandon Scott made it tough on a great player like Mackin," Kenney said. "We were happy with our defense tonight and followed the scouting report."

Wissemann followed Passaretti offensively with 11 points and three rebounds. Parr added 10 points, six rebounds and two steals, while Paquette totaled 10 points and two boards off the bench.

SUNY New Paltz is back home Tuesday, taking on league-leading Oswego State for a 7:30 p.m. game in the Hawk Center. To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks,Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.