New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz rolled to a 73-52 win over visiting Oswego Tuesday night in the Hawk Center.
The Hawks (12-6 overall, 8-3 SUNYAC) never trailed in the game and jumped out to a 17-2 lead with
Alex Krupinski capping the stretch with a swish from 3-point range to ignite the home crowd and bench, leading to a Lakers timeout.
SUNY New Paltz stretched its lead to as many as 17 in the half with
Isaiah Rivera scoring on the break before capitalizing off a steal by
Lucas Seyoum with another make underneath to push the score to 35-18. The Lakers earned a trip to the foul line in the final minute and netted 1-of-2 to trim the deficit but the Hawks held a comfortable 16-point cushion at the break.
They held the visitors to just 19 points off seven made baskets in the opening 20 minutes. Oswego shot better in the second, but SUNY New Paltz matched its efficiency and shot 60 percent from the field in the second half, including going 4-for-10 from 3-point range to stretch its lead to as many as 23 and maintained a comfortable cushion the rest of the way.
Rivera scored a team-high 17 points, while shooting an efficient 8-for-10 from the field with two rebounds and an assist. Krupinski followed with a season-high 13 points in 11 minutes off the bench, hitting 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
A.J. Knight was the only other Hawk who reached double-figure points, recording 12 on 5-for-11 shooting in 30 minutes, while adding a team-high six rebounds and two assists.
The win for the Hawks was crucial for playoff seeding, now evening the series with the Lakers who dropped to 11-7 overall and 7-4 in the SUNYAC. SUNY New Paltz rebounded from its most recent loss on the road against Plattsburgh and put itself in position near the top of the league standings only a half game back from Cortland (8-2 SUNYAC) which it'll face Feb. 15 for its final regular season road game of the year.
Next up for the Hawks in another road trip, taking on Buffalo State Friday and Fredonia State Saturday.
*******************
To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.
