New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz rallied from 14 points down late in the second half to mint a comeback over visiting Bard Saturday night on Day 2 of the Hudson Valley Tournament led by senior
LaMar Matthews.
Matthews became the catalyst in the eventual 76-73 victory, as he scored 11 of his career-high 23 points in the final eight minutes of the game, which included a pivotal stretch with SUNY New Paltz trailing by 11. Matthews finished strong in the paint before adding another underneath the basket to trim the deficit to nine more than halfway through the second period. Matthews then connected again in transition, stemming off a steal from
Mo Sylla to get SUNY New Paltz within five.
The Raptors brought the lead to eight after connecting from the perimeter, but Matthews continued to make play after play, soaring in on a miss from 3-point range from
Trevor Amalfitano to tip-in the rebound to get his team within six with five minutes left. The senior stayed steadfast, aggressively attacking the lane to lay in two more on the drive before another defensive stand led to a steal from
Justin Noelizaire, which translated into a fast-break bucket by Sylla to create a two-point difference.
Out of a Bard timeout, the Hawks earned a stop on the defensive end with Amalfitano securing a 68-68 tie after getting baseline. The Raptors re-took the lead on an and-1, forcing
Isaiah Rivera into his fifth and final foul with 3:32 left in the game. Matthews came through again though, answering with another bucket in the paint to get SUNY New Paltz within one. Matthews then pulled down the defensive board following a miss from the Raptors and Amalfitano capitalized on an and-1 on a tip-in bucket and board that pushed the Hawks ahead, 73-71 with two minutes left following the ensuing made free throw. Matthews created a turnover on the other end, picking a pass on the ensuing Bard possession and earned a trip to the foul line to extend the advantage to three.
Gallery: (11-22-2025) MBB vs Bard 11/22/25 - Jacob Hoyos
The SUNY New Paltz defense anchored down in the last minute-plus, keeping the Raptors to just one made basket down the stretch, which cut the score to 74-73. The Hawks called a timeout once crossing midcourt with 25.8 seconds left and 18 seconds on the shot clock.
With the shot clock winding down, Sylla drove into the lane but lost the handle with Matthews picking up the loose ball and putting a shot up before time expired. His attempt was just off the mark with the Raptors picking up the rebound, but Sylla was called on the foul trying to win possession back. With SUNY New Paltz in the bonus, Bard earned a one-and-one but missed the attempt. Matthews again was clutch, grabbing the defensive board with just two seconds left with Sylla calling a timeout for the Hawks. The Raptors fouled on the inbound going for the steal, placing Amalfitano on the foul line where he made both to ice the win.
Matthews finished with a team and career-high 23 points on an efficient 10-for-18 shooting from the floor in 34 minutes with a team-leading 11 rebounds for his first double-double as a Hawk, while adding an assist and two steals to solidify a standout performance. Amalfitano followed with 15 points in 27 minutes, adding five rebounds and an assist. Rivera was the only other Hawk in double-figures, ending with 10 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes with an assist and three steals.
The win ended a two-game losing skid for SUNY New Paltz as it bumped its record to 2-3 overall with its next game coming in nearly two weeks, back at home against Farmingdale State at 7 p.m. in the Hawk Center.
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