New London, CT — The State University of New York New Paltz suffered its second loss of the season after falling to Connecticut College Tuesday night,  91-79.
 
The Camels (2-0 overall) took advantage of their size in the paint, scoring nearly half of their points underneath the basket, as they came away with the win following a 61 percent shooting second-half that allowed them to pull away for the victory.
 
The Hawks (1-2) held a 44-39 lead at halftime after shooting more than 57 percent from the field but couldn't make enough stops down the stretch to overcome a mini-run by Conn College midway through the second half.
 
After the two teams traded buckets on virtually every possession to open up the following 20 minutes to create a 59-all stalemate, the Camels scored eight-straight points to create a cushion, started on a block on the defensive end, which turned into a quick two points the other way. A SUNY New Paltz turnover then turned into a five-point swing, as Conn College hit a triple to establish a five-point lead and following another turnover from the visitors, the Camels hit another from the perimeter to establish an eight-point cushion with more than nine minutes to go and the Hawks chased the lead the rest of the way.  
SUNY New Paltz junior guard Mo Sylla, who finished with a career-high in the outing, ended the stretch as he bullied his way to the hoop and earned a trip to the foul line to cut into the deficit. Conn College scored on back-to-back possessions to establish a nine-point advantage that it held until Sylla rattled in a 3-pointer with just less than four minutes remaining to create a two-possession game at 79-75. The hosts immediately called a timeout to regroup and scored on the ensuing possession, attacking the hoop to earn an and-1, which felt pivotal in hindering a Hawks comeback.
 
Amir Hughes tried for a 3-ball next time down the floor for SUNY New Paltz but came up short with the Camels scoring on the other end to regain a nine-point lead. The Hawks struggled in coupling points with stops down the stretch with the hosts icing the game at the foul line, making 7-for-8 in the last two minutes to maintain the lead and come away with win.
 
Sylla tallied a career-high 27 points in 26 minutes as he battled through foul trouble in the second half. He shot 7-for-17 from the field with three rebounds, an assist and a steal. The next two leading scorers for SUNY New Paltz came from its bench, as freshmen Hughs and Justin Noelizaire followed with 17 and 11 points, respectively. Hughes shot 6-for-9 in 28 minutes, while Noelizaire went 5-for-10 from the floor, tallying three boards and a block. Isaiah Rivera chipped in with eight points and a team-leading 10 rebounds with two assists, two blocks and two steals in 32 minutes.  
 
The Hawks are back in action Friday night as they compete in the annual Hudson Valley Tournament, facing Vassar College at Mount Saint Mary's College at 5:30 p.m. before hosting Bard College Saturday in the Hawk Center at 6 p.m.

 
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