New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz picked up a dominating 83-40 win over visiting Buffalo State Friday night to improve to 9-8 overall and 7-4 in the SUNYAC.
 
"I think overall, we're feeling pretty great about this game," said Hawks junior forward Lucas Seyoum. "Obviously, Buff State has been down this year, but we don't look past anybody when it comes to games like this, and I think we just played really well and came out with a great win."
 
The Hawks held the Bengals to just 14 points in the first half with the visitors hitting just 5-for-23 from the field to shoot just less than 22 percent.
 
SUNY New Paltz got out to a 6-0 run and extended to 10-3 on free throws by Dakoda Smith who got hacked going up to the hoop running the floor in transition. Rylan Blondo extended to 12-4 for the Hawks, as he weaved through traffic for a smooth left-handed lay-in. They continued on a 17-0 run capped by a nice no-look pass from RJ Meyers-Turner to Sean St. Lucia out on the perimeter who hit on the 3-ball to push the lead to 27-4 with seven minutes to play. Second and third chances on offensive rebounds by the Bengals led to Matt Parkinson getting to the line where he hit 1-of-2 that finally broke Buffalo State into double-figures as they trailed 32-10 with 3:25 remaining. The Bengals cut into the lead slightly ending the half with two from Jend Arg Imeri, bringing the score down to 34-14 at the break.
 
 
"They were missing a lot of shots, missing a lot of free throws and we got pretty lucky I'd say, but credit to us. We played great defense and we played a big part of them missing a lot of shots," Seyoum said of the Hawks' first-half defensive effort. "In the first half we had 10 turnovers, which is a lot for a half. I think the difference in the second half is that we took care of the basketball and that led to us getting way more shots."
 
Alex Krupinski created a 30-point margin after knocking down a 3-ball with about 14 minutes left. Smith added two more following a defensive board by Krupinski before RJ Meyers-Turner swished a 3-ball, then followed up with a bucket in the paint after a block by Rylan Blondo to create a 40-point difference with four minutes left. Oumar Sy came off the bench and continued to add on to the large lead for SUNY New Paltz, attacking the basket and earning an and-1 following a block on the opposite end with less than two minutes left as the Hawks closed out with its largest win differential of the season. Seyoum led the way offensively with 16 points, just two shy of his career-high, making 3-for-7 from 3-point range, while pulling down six rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block. Meyers-Turner followed with 12 points off the bench in 22 minutes with two rebounds, four assists and one steal. St. Lucia was the only other Hawk in double-figures, totaling 10 points in 24 minutes with three rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block.
 
"It feels pretty great to lead my team in scoring and get the offense started today," Seyoum said. "It's more than just me scoring. I don't care how much I score, I'm just happy seeing my teammates scoring and the team win overall."
 
SUNY New Paltz returns to the Hawk Center Saturday to close out its series against Fredonia, hoping to sweep the Blue Devils and continue better its playoff standing.
 
"Looking forward to tomorrow," Seyoum said. "We know it's a pretty important game for us to win. Fredonia is at the bottom of the table right now, but that doesn't mean much. They're better than what their record shows. They're a pretty solid team and I think we can come out with a win tomorrow as long as we played the way we did today."

Post-Game Interview Featuring Lucas Seyoum


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