New Paltz, NY — Jamie Seward still remembers how his high school varsity coach was stuck on win 199. And on Friday night, with is family, friends and group of former players in the stands, he entered the gym on win 299.

Although the focus was mainly on staying undefeated in the conference standings, he felt some slight pressure on making sure he got over the hump and reaching the round milestone of win 300.
 
His team, playing its best basketball of the year with two weeks left of the regular season, made sure to deliver. In another stout outing against a perennial SUNYAC rival, the State University of New York at New Paltz defeated the visiting Geneseo Knights handily, 67-37 to improve to 19-3 on the year and lift Seward into the 300-win club.
 
"My high school coach got caught on 199 for like seven games my senior year and I didn't want that embarrassment so when [my former players] showed up, I was like man, we got to get this done," Seward said. "Then [alumna Paige Niemeyer '20] said something like, 'I'm not going to be here tomorrow, so you better win tonight' — there was definitely a little more pressure from that standpoint, but my focus was really about this team. This team is a lot of fun to coach and to be around. I didn't want to miss anything with them reflecting on years past or total wins, but it was really nice to see everybody coming back and everyone was so nice about everything, and it made it a nice night."
 
 
Like in its last three outings, the Hawks got off to a hot start right of the jump. Jenny Walton put SUNY New Paltz on the board on the first possession, hitting on a corner 3 to give the hosts the lead, which they maintained throughout the entirety of the game. The Hawks went straight into their press and forced two-straight turnovers but couldn't convert into points with Geneseo scoring on its third possession with a basket in the paint by 6-foot, 3-inch forward Lauren Romito.

They continued getting their hands in the lane and forced two more turnovers on consecutive possessions following a block and then a steal by Lexi Van Vorst but again, SUNY New Paltz had trouble converting on the offensive end.
 
"We've been able to get off to these really strong starts and I felt like we started strong we just didn't put the points on the board," Seward said. "It was 3-0, 3-2 for a while but during that stretch they weren't getting shots. We were turning them over and getting up in transition and getting good shots that we weren't finishing. Then we got a little bit stagnant and that's how they are. They pack the paint, they're big and they're physical and we just had a hard time getting to the basket. I think in the second half we were able to spread them out and making some shots from the perimeter helps in that."  
Defense eventually started facilitating offense for the Hawks, as they went on a 6-0 run to earn a seven-point advantage midway through the period. Cassidy Deaver knocked down a trey from the corner before Victoria Venus picked a pass on the ensuing possession, leading to a Walton 3 that pushed the lead to 11-4 with four minutes to play. However, Geneseo stormed back in the final seconds of the quarter, ending on a 6-0 run to cut score to 11-10.
 
SUNY New Paltz didn't let the Knights momentum carry over however, as Fitzgerald got into the paint, spun and banked in a shot as the shot clock expired to begin the second before going coast to coast off a defensive board to give her team a 15-10 lead to start the period. Fitzgerald then finished tough, attacking the basket and got her bucket to go and the foul for the traditional three-point play to extend the lead to 18-13 with just less than five minutes left before halftime.
 
After the Knights dwindled the difference to three, Walton came up big on both sides of the floor with three minutes to go, grabbing a steal before burying a 3-pointer to push the lead to six. Van Vorst doubled-down for SUNY New Paltz, as she grabbed an offensive board, worked baseline and finished on a reverse-layup. She had another pretty finish on her team's last possession of the half, spinning off a defender and then connecting on a finger roll to give her team a 25-19 lead. SUNY New Paltz locked in defensively in the final 10 seconds with Walton going up for a block on Maggie McGrane to hold onto the six-point cushion at the break.
 
"It's something that we put a lot of emphasis on on a daily basis in practice is finishing quarters and starting the next quarter strong, particularly the end of the second and beginning of the third quarter is such an important stretch and today we didn't open it up at the end of the first, but we maintained that six-point lead and got that stop to maintain [it]," Seward said. "Then, when we made that run in the second half, where if we gave up that basket late [to close out the first half] it just changes it a little bit. We talk about even 4-or 5-0 runs to close and start the half, those are 8-10-point swings in the game, which can totally change the perception and how the game plays out."
 
SUNY New Paltz broke the game open in the third quarter, as Fitzgerald ignited the half on a made 3 with the shot clock expiring. Serravillo got in on the action, scoring on a pull up jumper in transition after Fitzgerald pulled down a defensive board and quickly fed the Altamont, NY native down the floor.  
 
SUNY New Paltz's shooting touch got going down the stretch of the third. Serravillo sank a long-ranged 3 to push the score to 40-25. Fitzgerald then jumped a pass by the Knights and laid in an easy two in the open floor with Van Vorst swishing a high arcing shot from the perimeter two minutes later.  
The Hawks ended the quarter strong once again, working the shot clock down, Fitzgerald beat her man baseline and earned an and-1 to extend the advantage to 54-33 with them forcing a turnover in the final possession for Geneseo to hold the 19-point cushion entering the fourth.
 
"Coming out of halftime, we [needed] to rebound better," Fitzgerald said. "We have to finish our plays and pick it up on defense. Offensively, I felt like we were a little disconnected in the beginning, but once we kind of got back into that flow on defense our offense picked up quick."
 
SUNY New Paltz built onto the difference in the fourth after holding the Knights to just four points in the period, solidifying the comfortable, 67-37 victory.  
 
"I definitely think we followed our game plan," Fitzgerald added. "Overall, we just wanted to double the post and not let their big girl get any post-ups or any easy baskets, and we needed to guard the 3-point line. I felt like maybe in the first half we didn't do that as well, but definitely when we picked up in the second half, we guarded the 3-point line really well and their post players didn't really get anything."
 
The Hawks improved their undefeated SUNYAC record to 15-0 and are a step closer in locking up the top seed in the conference. The 30-point victory over the Knights, a program Seward and his team defeated four times en route to conference titles, was the most ever — solidifying an already historic day in program history.
 
Fitzgerald, coming off her second SUNYAC Athlete of the Week honor, picked up where she left last weekend and produced another stellar performance ending with 23 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field in 25 minutes, while adding eight rebounds, a team-high five steals and two assists. Walton followed with 12 points, while Van Vorst and Serravillo each registered seven points, three assists and two rebounds.
 
"It's a really special feeling. Being a part of something as big as coach's 300th win — him being the second winningest coach in the SUNYAC — it's really a great feeling and really, a great feeling to be a part of a team like this," Fitzgerald said. "We made history last year and we're looking to make history this year. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
 
SUNY New Paltz has another big game set up Saturday, hosting SUNY Brockport in its final regular season home game in the Hawk Center. The Hawks will celebrate a coveted and deep senior class in Serravillo, Van Vorst, Deaver, Venus, Gabby Palladino, Olivia Badura and Maddie Gillis prior to the game.
 
"I think this group is pretty locked in right now," Seward said. "They know how important tomorrow's game is. They're excited about the whole thing and maybe that leads to some balls thrown into the stands early on, but if we play with that kind of energy that the excitement should bring out, I think any mistakes that come with it will be neutralized."
 
Hawks and Golden Eagles tip-off Saturday in the Hawk Center at 2 p.m.

Post-Game Featuring Brianna Fitzgerald


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