New Paltz, NY — The last time the State University of New York at New Paltz faced the Geneseo Knights, the Hawks succumbed to a heart-breaking last-second one-point road loss that capped what was a tough five-game road stretch. On Friday night in the Hawk Center, SUNY New Paltz made sure to not put the win in doubt and in turn, earned a dominant 88-61 victory ending a three-game losing skid.
 
"The first time around we were a little lenient on the scout and what was different this game was that we had more fun tonight," said Hawks senior guard Isaiah Bien-Aise. "The past couple games, we've been down in the slumps, and we weren't having much fun. Tonight, we knew we had to pay attention to detail, know who the shooters were, know who the drivers were, and it was about having fun. When we're playing our best basketball is when we're all out on the floor hitting shots, getting after it and that's what allowed us to really go hard today."
 
SUNY New Paltz had one of its most efficient shooting performances as of late, hitting more than 52 percent from the field, including 36.4 percent (12-for-33) from the perimeter and held the Knights to just 28 points on 10 made baskets in the second, which helped it pull away for the comfortable 27-point win.
 
 
"Geneseo likes to take a lot of charges. They were trying to take away our drivers like [Rylan] Blondo and Sean [St. Lucia] — so, in terms of scout we knew we had to move a lot off ball, and we were going to get a lot of open shots because they are so heavy in the rotation when it comes to defense," Bien-Aise said. "We applied that by swinging the ball, jump-stopping and passing to the open guys when necessary."
 
The Hawks led by as many as 10 in the first half, helped by a made trey by Bien-Aise off a dish by Rylan Blondo with three minutes to go. Following a defensive stop, Brandon Scott worked his way to the paint and earned a trip to the foul line where he hit both to push the score to 37-27 with 2:23 left. Following a pair of made foul shots by the Knights next time down the floor, Tyreik Frazier dunked a put-back to re-up the 10-point cushion, but Geneseo ended the half with four-straight points, two of which came on another set of free throws with about 1:30 left and the other two off a turnaround jumper at the buzzer, which trimmed the difference to 39-33 at the break.  
SUNY New Paltz came out of halftime strong, though, and turned the game after the Knights cut the deficit to three on a made 3 by Cole Katten. The Hawks responded with a 10-0 run in the next three-plus minutes lit by Sean St. Lucia who earned a trip to the line before going coast-coast following a defensive board to begin the stretch. Frazier added on following back-to-back offensive boards, then added a block that led to a basket in the paint by Rylan Blondo. St. Lucia capped the stretch, as he worked his way through the lane and finished for two, extending the lead to 51-38.
 
Bien-Aise got the cushion to 15 after picking off a cross court pass atop the arc, which led to a pair of made free throws after getting hacked at the other end. The Hawk Center ignited on the following sequence, as Scott went up and denied Katten at the rim. Geneseo won the ball back, but Frazier wanted in on the block party, running the floor and swatting away an attempt by Katten who tried getting the hoop in transition. SUNY New Paltz took advantage the other way, as Bien-Aise finished off a dish by Blondo to up the score, 57-40.
 
The Hawks continued working the ball around and found open shooters. Seyoum drained a corner 3 with more than 12 minutes left and Solomon Neuhaus added another trey a minue later to boost the lead to 21. Neuhaus ended up hitting in the nearly the same spot with 7:38 to go, pulling and swishing off a screen atop the arc. Following a defensive stop on the ensuing possession, St. Lucia gave SUNY New Paltz another opportunity, picking up an offensive board on an initial attempt by Seyoum. St. Lucia found Seyoum for some redemption and the sophomore capitalized with another swish from 3-point range that ballooned the lead to 26 with less than seven minutes remaining.
 
A steal by Frazier led to his own bucket with three minutes to go, giving the Hawks their largest lead of the game at 83-51. They closed out from there, emptying their bench as they cruised the 27-point win.
 
Bien-Aise was the catalyst, finishing with a game-high 20 points off 7-for-12 shooting with seven rebounds, four stelas and an assist in 28 minutes. Neuhaus followed with 17 points in 18 minutes off the bench, as he shot 5-for-8 from behind the arc. Frazier registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four blocks and two steals, while St. Lucia was the only other Hawk in double-figure points, ending with 11 points, six rebounds, a block and a game-high seven assists.
 
The win guarantees SUNY New Paltz a spot in the postseason for the second-straight year. It returns to the Hawk Center Saturday in its final home regular season matchup, taking on SUNY Brockport, which sits second in the conference standings.
 
"We know that playoffs are right around the corner, so we can't afford any mishaps," Bien-Aise said. "We really got to be locked in to advance our future. Since we already played everyone one time around, now we know how to adjust to certain games. Now we know what details matter when executing."
 
Saturday holds extra significance for lone seniors Bien-Aise and Scott, who will be honored for their dedication and commitment to the program over the course of five seasons. The duo has helped the program build into a perennial playoff contender over the last few seasons. They're looking to earn an upset win over the Golden Eagles in what might be their final outing in the Hawk Center Saturday.
 
"Me and Brandon have been around from the start of it all, the program developing and since coach Kenney's first couple of years," Bien-Aise said. "We've been through a lot. We've been through worse seasons and it's good now that we're starting to get some pieces together. We hit playoffs last year and we're obviously not content, we're looking to advance this year and basically the message to guys is stick, stay and get paid — basically that means to ride through the obstacles. Better days are to come and eventually in time if you keep doing the good work, you're going to see your success. That's what I stay onto. I'm a trials and tribulations type of guy."
 
SUNY New Paltz is set to host the Golden Eagles at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Hawk Center.

Post-Game Interview Featuring Isaiah Bien-Aise


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