Oswego, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team had a daunting, and familiar, matchup for its second-straight SUNYAC Semifinal appearance Friday facing top-seeded and No. 9 nationally ranked Oswego.
 
The last two meetings against the Lakers were 30-plus point losses with Oswego (24-2 overall, 17-1 SUNYAC) also packing a full Max Ziel Gymnasium, the Hawks would have to put together a near perfect performance to pull what arguably would have been the biggest upset in the country. And they nearly did through 40 minutes, even leading to begin the second half, but ultimately, the Lakers hit down the stretch to pull away with a 73-68 victory.
 
"We executed the game plan almost perfectly but came up short," said SUNY New Paltz coach Keith Kenney. "We had to slow the game down and play the opposite style we are used to, that's how good Oswego is."
 
A low scoring first half saw 11 lead changes with the score tied seven times, including at 27-all with less than two minutes to play before the break. The Hawks led by as many as six early on, as an and-1 by Rylan Blondo pushed the score to 18-12 in favor of SUNY New Paltz with 12 minutes to go. Blondo swished from the perimeter two minutes later, answering a 3 by Oswego to re-up a six-point cushion at 21-15. The Lakers came back to tie at 21 before Blondo added two in the paint two possessions later. Tyreik Frazier gave the Hawks their last lead of the half after earning two on the block, but Oswego scored four unanswered in the last two minutes to take a slight, 29-27 lead at the half.  
Isaiah Bien-Aise got the offense started in the second with a swish from the perimeter off a feed by Rylan Blondo. A block by Blondo on the other end allowed SUNY New Paltz to get out in transition where Blondo found Bien-Aise on the break. Oswego missed on a 3-pointer, which allowed the Hawks to run the floor once again, this time with Frazier kicking the ball up to Bien-Aise who gave SUNY New Paltz a 34-32 advantage three minutes in.
 
The score was tied at 37 and 39 before the Lakers scored five-straight, but the Hawks countered with a 5-0 run as well, as Blondo earned a trip to the foul line, making both before Brandon Scott tied the game at 44 on a made 3 off a kick-out by Frazier. However, with 11 minutes remaining, the Lakers went on a 7-0 run and never trailed from that point forward. They continued to build on the lead and extended to as many as 12 following a trey by Devin Green with about four minutes to go, which pushed the score to 64-52.
 
SUNY New Paltz climbed back in to get within four with just less than a minute left, as Sean St. Lucia found Bien-Aise for a bucket in the paint. Oswego earned a trip to the foul line, adding two points, but Lucas Seyoum answered with a make at the hoop, which created a four-point difference once more with less than 30 seconds left. St. Lucia brought the score down to a one-possession game, knocking down from the perimeter with 10 seconds left. The Hawks were forced to intentionally foul to stop the clock, but the Lakers hit from the line and sealed the five-point victory, eliminating SUNY New Paltz in the semifinal round for the second straight season.
 
"We had some mental mistakes on coverages down the stretch that let their shooter hit a few 3's in the first half and should have been up 8-10 points at halftime," Kenney said. "But overall, of course I am proud of the guys for the way we played."
 
The Hawks were efficient from the floor, shooting 47.5 percent and connected on 5-for-10 from 3-point range in the second half to bring their average to 33.3 percent for the game. The Lakers held the rebounding edge, 41-34 and turnover differential 16-11.  
Blondo finished with a game-high 21 points off 8-for-12 shooting in 38 minutes, while adding three rebounds, five assists and three steals. Bien-Aise followed with 20 points 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Scott and Seyoum each had nine points, while St. Lucia ended with five points, a game-high eight assists and four rebounds.
 
SUNY New Paltz ends its 2022-23 campaign at 13-14 overall and earned consecutive berths in the SUNYAC Semifinals for the first time in program history. The Hawks return the majority of their roster except for fifth-year seniors in Bien-Aise and Scott who both were instrumental in the development of the program, helping build to a perennial playoff contender the last two seasons.
 
"Our goal is a championship every year, there are no moral victories or silver linings. We didn't get the job done but we will one day," Kenney said. "Zay and Brandon are competitive and tough, and their winners and leaders. I am indebted to them, as they were part of my first recruiting class as coach. I wanted it so bad for them. They are a huge reason of why we are where we are now and we owe them a lot. They always will be family, love those guys."

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