Buffalo, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz went on the road and earned a 62-54 win over Buffalo State Friday night to capture the regular season series.
 
The Hawks improved to 13-6 overall and 9-3 in the SUNYAC after winning their second straight to take a half game lead atop the SUNYAC. The Bengals dropped to 5-13 overall and 3-8 in the conference with the loss.
 
SUNY New Paltz shot just more than 37 percent from the field but netted 9-for-18 from 3-point range that buoyed the offense over the Bengals who scored most of their points under the basket, registering 34 points in the paint.
 
Alex Krupinski led the Hawks offensively in the first half with eight points off the bench and brought his team's lead into double-figures following a triple to push the score 21-10 with 10 minutes to go in the period. He gave SUNY New Paltz its largest lead two minutes later with another make from 3-point range stemmed from a steal by Dakoda Smith, but the hosts worked their way back to get within two with less than 20 seconds to go. A.J. Knight created a little more of a cushion, earning a trip to the foul line and adding two more points for the Hawks before the break.
 
Buffalo State took the lead with seven minutes left in the second half off a 3-pointer that created a 50-48 score instigated off an 8-0 run. LaMar Matthews put an end to the stretch with a put-back off an initial miss by Knight following a steal by Ethan St. Lucia. St. Lucia then captured the advantage back for his team, making plays on both ends of the floor first with a block and then a swish from behind the arc to push the Hawks in front, 53-52.
 
SUNY New Paltz held the Bengals scoreless for a five-minute stretch and in turn, built a 10-point cushion to solidify the win. Lucas Seyom and Knight scored on consecutive possessions with three minutes left to create a six-point difference. St. Lucia then came up with a steal out of a timeout by the Bengals and then pulled down a crucial offensive rebound that led to an Isaiah Rivera bucket that built an eight-point lead.
 
Buffalo State struggled finding the bottom of the hoop on two consecutive attempts from the floor including three missed free throws, allowing the visitors to close out with SUNY New Paltz playing tight defensively to anchor in its second straight victory.
 
St. Lucia led all scorers with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting including 4-for-5 from 3-point range with six rebounds, an assist and a game-high four steals. Knight followed with 12 points, three rebounds and a game-high five assists. Rivera followed with nine points, eight rebounds, an assist and a block.
 
SUNY New Paltz is back in action Saturday, taking on Fredonia on the road at 4 p.m.


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