Oswego, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team's 2021-22 season came to an end Friday night, unable to slow down top-seeded Oswego in the SUNYAC semifinals and fell, 94-60.
 
The Hawks close the season at 15-11 overall — the most wins since the 1998-99 season — and finish as one of the top-four teams in the conference — a first since the 2002-03 campaign. They return all but one from their roster next year, senior Jackson Vertucci, including all their starters from their postseason run, which began with a playoff win in the Hawk Center over SUNY Cortland Tuesday.
 
"Most wins since '99, most conference wins since '99, beat a nationally ranked team, hosted and won a home playoff game — these are experiences this young group got to go through and I hope this will help them grow in future years," said SUNY New Paltz coach Keith Kenney.
 
The Hawks struggled offensively from the opening tip and the Lakers immediately found a groove as they ran the floor with quick fast-break buckets to help create a large cushion. A made 3-pointer by Brandon Scott got SUNY New Paltz within nine with about 11 minutes to play and the two teams traded baskets on the following four possessions to maintain the single-digit difference, but a 23-5 run by Oswego from the 9:50 mark of the first half until the end of the period, essentially put the game out of reach.
"Against Oswego, you almost have to play a perfect game," Kenney said. "Score points on long possessions and not turn the ball over so they do not get out in transition, which they are close to impossible in stopping. They defended us well and that led to run-outs. Once we got down, we had to change our plan and by then we could not catch up. Scoring is the best way to stop the other team's transition and they are one of the best defensive teams I've ever seen at this level."
 
The Hawks improved their shooting in the second half going from 31 percent to nearly 41 percent in the final 20 minutes but struggled to get within striking distance of the Lakers who hit 54.4 percent in the game.
 
Solomon Neuhaus, Scott and Tyriek Frazier all finished in double-figure scoring with Scott adding six rebounds and three assists with a team-high 14 points off the bench.

Despite the loss, SUNY New Paltz ends one of the best seasons in recent memory with standards set high entering the start of next year. 
 
"This is a program to be proud of now," Kenney said. "We are here to compete every year and in the top four in the conference this year, and we know we will be back. We are young and know what we have to get better at and had some tough injuries to overcome. We left some wins on the table this year and know we could have gone further, so we will never be satisfied until we win a title. But we have a group of young guys that I am extremely proud of. Absolutely loved coaching this group. It was a privilege that I won't forget."

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