The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team is looking to earn a pair of State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) sweeps over Buffalo State and Fredonia State this weekend in the Hawk Center.

The Hawks (11-9 overall, 6-7 SUNYAC) earned 66-64 and 79-59 victories when they played the Bengals and Blue Devils, respectively, on the road Jan. 18 and 19. Both victories brought milestones for the program. SUNY New Paltz collected its first 20-plus point win of the year over Fredonia State, while defeating Buffalo State in its gym for the first time since the 1997-98 season.

Hawks junior forward Scott Reisert laid in a last-second buzzer-beater to solidify the victory and was the catalyst in the win, scoring a game-high 20 points with seven rebounds, three blocks and five steals.

Against the Blue Devils, SUNY New Paltz had one of its most efficient shooting nights of the year. The Hawks shot nearly 54 percent from the field, while having three players score 17 or more points, with 10 others contributing with at least one basket.

"Going against [Fredonia] they have a lot of energy and play a lot of guys, so we just have to stay focused throughout the 40 minutes against them," said SUNY New Paltz freshman guard Brandon Scott. "We just have to stay focused, pay attention to detail, execute and play hard. That's it."

The Hawks split their latest SUNYAC weekend, picking up a win over The College at Brockport, but falling against SUNY Geneseo. SUNY New Paltz led for most of the first half against the Knights, but Geneseo did a good job of getting to the hoop and earning chances at the foul line. They established a large enough lead to stay out in front in the second half and then iced the win at the charity stripe where they knocked down 22-of-30 attempts.

"What we took from our game against Geneseo is that we have to play harder," Scott said. "We got to play more together as a team and play all 40 minutes of the game."

Despite the loss, the Hawks remain at the sixth spot in the SUNYAC standings. The Bengals and Catskill Cup rival SUNY Oneonta are fighting for spots with both a game back from SUNY New Paltz. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, are the only team to have already been eliminated from playoff contention.

The Hawks enter the weekend ranked eighth in the conference in points per game (71.7), and third in fewest points allowed (74.2). Reisert (12.2), junior forward Tristan Wissemann (14.9) and sophomore guard Jake Passaretti (11.4) lead the team offensively, but SUNY New Paltz's biggest strength is on the defensive end.

"What we do best is defense. We play with a lot of energy. We're talking, we're communicating and we're having a lot of fun out there," Scott said. "We just have to play hard and match their energy."

SUNY New Paltz is set to tip-off against Buffalo State in the Hawk Center Friday at 7:30 p.m. and then Fredonia State Saturday at 4 p.m.

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