Brockport, NY — After a disappointing, last-second loss Friday night, the State University of New York at New Paltz bounced back with a statement win over The College at Brockport, 90-78 to defeat the Golden Eagles for the first time since 2019.
 
"Happy for the guys to bounce back after a poor performance last night," said Hawks coach Keith Kenney. "We expect to win games like this. We are a talented team, but we have to be more consistent. [Rylan] Blondo and Sean [St. Lucia] controlled the tempo of the game and we hit timely shots. It was a very well rounded and we got contributions from a lot of guys."
 
After hitting just seven shots from the perimeter against SUNY Geneseo Friday night, the Hawks' 3-point shooting was what kept them in the game when the Golden Eagles started climbing back midway through the first half and as they flirted with taking control of the game early on in the second. As a team, SUNY New Paltz hit more than 51 percent (16-31) from downtown, led by lethal shooting from Solomon Neuhaus and Lucas Seyoum who combined for 10 made 3-pointers in the game.
 
"We shot the ball well from 3 and knew we had to do that against a great defensive team," Kenney said. 
 
Seyoum got the offense started with two quick made 3's to facilitate a 7-0 run for SUNY New Paltz, which helped take its first lead of the game. The Hawks flexed that cushion to as large as 10 in the first half, but Brockport climbed back in to trim the deficit to two at the break. The Golden Eagles then opened up the second half with six-straight points to gain their first advantage since the opening minutes of the first.
As was the trend for most the game, anytime Brockport looked to snatch momentum by taking the lead, the Hawks answered with made shots from behind the arc. After the Golden Eagles went up, 46-42, Isaiah Bien-Aise and Seyoum knocked down back-to-back buckets from the perimeter to push their team ahead and energize the SUNY New Paltz bench. Sean St. Lucia forced a turnover on a steal the next defensive possession, leading to a transition bucket and extended the lead to six near the 15-minute mark of the second half leading to a Brockport timeout.
 
The stoppage in play worked to the Golden Eagles benefit, as they re-took the lead following a made basket underneath by Devante Higgins with 12 minutes left. The hosts pushed their cushion to as many as four, but SUNY New Paltz came back to tie the game and then regain the advantage for the rest of the way.
 
Rylan Blondo, coming off a 31-point career-night Friday, struggled finding his stroke offensively to start the game, but when the team needed him, the second-year guard was clutch. Twelve of his team-high 19 points came in the last nine minutes of the game, including a made 3-pointer to tie the score at 61. After knocking down his shot from distance, Blondo stole the ball away from Brockport's Jahdi Wallace and found Bien-Aise running the flor to give their team a 63-61 advantage. Brockport tied the score at 63 and again at 65, but Blondo, scoring on a sweet spin move to the hoop, ignited a 7-0 run in the last seven minutes that broke the game open.
 
The Golden Eagles never overcame the seven-point deficit, as SUNY New Paltz continued its hot shooting from 3-point range. Blondo, Neuhaus and Seyoum, along with a last-minute 3 from Luca Sanna helped maintain the cushion and close out the eventual 12-point win.
 
Blondo led his team with 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Bien-Aise followed with 18 points, five rebounds and one assist, while Seyoum and Neuhaus added 16 and 15 points, respectively. St. Lucia nearly had a double-double, chipping in with nine points, a team-leading nine assists, five rebounds and three steals.
 
"Rylan has taken his game to the next level and is a top guard in the conference," Kenney said. "Zay is our energy leader and he scored and defended for us."
 
SUNY New Paltz improved to 6-5 overall and 3-2 in the SUNYAC, while Brockport dropped to 9-3 and 4-2.
 
The Hawks return to Hawk Center for their next slate of games, hosting Buffalo State Jan. 13 for a 7:30 p.m. game before tipping-off against Fredonia Friday at 4 p.m.

************************
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.