New Paltz, NY —The State University of New York at New Paltz earned its fourth conference win of the season Thursday after closing out with 20 points in the final 10 minutes to put away visiting Buffalo State, 89-75.
 
Although the Hawks (7-5 overall, 4-2 SUNYAC) led for most of the game, the Bengals (1-11, 0-5) kept the contest within a one-possession game for most of the outing. However, SUNY New Paltz out-scored the Bengals 30-17 in the final 10-plus minutes to ultimately aid in the 14-point victory.  
 
"We went zone for three or four minutes and that threw them off a little and got consecutive stops," said Hawks coach Keith Kenney. "We gave up 26 points in the first half, which was amazing and then we give up 49 [in the second half]. We just couldn't get them to stop scoring, so I think it was important to never lose a lead. They got it close, but we always brought it back up. I think that stretch we got five or six possessions where we got a lot of stops in a row and then got some timely shots to put it up to 10. It wasn't our prettiest game, but we got over the finish line and we just want to continue stacking up wins."
 
SUNY New Paltz was helped with some hot shooting from sophomore guard Solomon Neuahus who went off for 27 points off the bench, burying 7-of-11 from 3-point range and finished 9-of-15 on the night to lead the Hawks offensively.
 
"When he gets involved, he hunts his shots down and that's what we like about him," Kenney said about the 6'4 transfer. "He was really going out of his way to get good shots. That's not something that we said we definitely were going to do. He just made himself get open. I think he can see that we were struggling offensively, and he wanted to do his part and him and [Rylan] Blondo really bailed us out tonight." 
 
Blondo, meanwhile, had another explosive performance in what is turning into a career season. He registered his third double-double of the year and tied a career-high with 14 rebounds to go along with 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field and 6-for-11 from the foul line. Fellow guard Sean St. Lucia went down midway through the first half due to injury and Blondo stepped in to be the lone facilitator on offense, aggressively attacking the hoop and creating open shots on kick-outs to his teammates. Along with his rebounding and shooting, he also led the team with six assists and three steals in 36 minutes of action.
"He's an elite guard right now. There's not two-ways about it," Kenney said. "What I like about Blondo is he plays every game the same way, like it's his last game. We know we can count on that intensity. If it's making shots or scoring, his rebounding is great, his defensive stuff, so yeah, it's definitely been great to see him grow into the player he is now and he's earned it. Nobody has worked harder in the offseason."

"I just play with a lot of confidence right now. And 14 rebounds, it didn't even feel like it. I was playing every possession like it matters and whatever the stat sheet shows is just from working hard," Blondo added. "A big loss with Sean, hopefully he feels better. After he was out, I felt like I had to facilitate more, take more leadership and control of the offense and of the pace of the game. Not really rushing everything, just keep control of the game."
 
The Hawks kept Buffalo State to just 26 first half points on 12 made baskets, but with 2:30 still left in the first half the game was separated by just two points after a made basket underneath by the Bengals. But SUNY New Paltz ended the half strong and scored eight unanswered points with Blondo the catalyst, getting the stretch started with a made jumper and then adding on with a steal and a trip to the foul line where he made both attempts. Neuhaus and Isaiah Bien-Aise put the finishing touches on the run with back-to-back baskets and helped SUNY New Paltz to a 36-26 lead at the break.
 
The Bengals stuck around to start the second half and even cut the score to as close as one at 65-64 with less than seven minutes remaining, but a timely 3 by Neuhaus extended the Hawks cushion. Buffalo State's Philbert Weeks made a pair at the charity stripe to bring the difference back down to two, but a Blondo layup was followed with a pair of attempts by RJ Meyers-Turner at the foul line for SUNY New Paltz. Meyers-Turner hit on the first and although he missed on the second, Lucas Seyoum picked up the offensive board and kicked out to the hot-hand of Neuhaus who again drained another massive 3-ball to push the score to eight. The momentum was swung SUNY New Paltz's way from there with the hosts closing out the final five minutes to collect the eventual 14-point win.
 
"We just kept composure and played with the same intensity, kept getting rebounds, kept playing, just kept playing our hardest and we didn't want them to come back," Blondo said. "We knew we just had to keep chipping away and keep treating every possession like it matters."
 
Bien-Aise was the only other Hawk who finished in double figures, as he finished with 15 points and eight rebounds — just two shy of his own double-double performance — along with two assists and a team-leading three blocks. Seyoum ended the night with seven points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
 
SUNY New Paltz will look to extend its winning streak to three Saturday when it hosts Fredonia State in the Hawk Center for a 4 p.m. tip.

Post-Game Interview with Rylan Blondo


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