New Paltz, NY — The last game of 2025 for the State University of New York New Paltz was brought down to a final possession with the Hawks trailing by one with 3.2 seconds left against visiting Maritime Tuesday night in the Hawk Center.
 
Mo Sylla rose up and had a look from 3-point range for the game-winner as the buzzer sounded, but his attempt went just wide of the rim and the miss finalized a Privateers, 60-59 victory and dropped SUNY New Paltz to 2-6 overall, while suffering its third consecutive defeat.
 
Maritime took a 33-32 lead at halftime after a buzzer beater by LaMar Matthews was wiped away after video review deemed the shot after the horn sounded. Sylla re-took the lead for the Hawks to start the half after swishing on a 3-pointer on the team's second offensive possession. SUNY New Paltz maintained the advantage through the following 10 minutes with the cushion ballooning to as many as nine following a triple from Thomas Keane on a kick-out by Oumar Sy with 11 minutes to go.
 
An 8-0 run ensued by the Privateers, taking advantage of the Hawks' foul trouble. Two free throws made was followed by a steal on a lost ball on the inbound by Sy that resulted in a quick bucket for the visitors. Another turnover allowed Maritime to push up the floor on the ensuing Hawks possession with the hosts missing from the perimeter next time down the floor. The Privateers answered immediately on a swish from the arc to knot the score at 47-all.
 
 
Maritime took its first lead of the half with about eight-minutes left on a made free throw at 50-49 and from there, the lead changed hands three times down the stretch. The Privateers went up by two following a pair of makes from the foul line with the Hawks in the bonus. Isaiah Rivera answered for SUNY New Paltz, attacking the basket and earning a trip to the line himself where he made 1-of-2. Thomas Keane tied the game at 54-all after grabbing an offensive board two possessions later, getting hit on the way down to earn two free throws where he made 1-of-2. Rivera re-upped the advantage with about three minutes to go, again going strong to the hole and finishing at the basket, but Maritime responded with an and-1 on the other side. Rivera stepped up for the Hawks and added a bucket in the paint to give his team the one-point lead once again.    
Both teams went scoreless until the final minute, as Maritime went back to the foul line after another personal, which allowed the visitors two free throws where it made 1-of-2 to tie the score at 58-all. Rivera was hit on the way back up after picking up his own offensive board, landing back on the charity stripe where he netted the second of two attempts to give the Hawks a one-point advantage. The Privateers called a timeout on the make and out of the break, connected on a pull up jumper with three seconds left to grab a 60-59 advantage.
 
Following a timeout, SUNY New Paltz in-bounded with Sylla creating some space on the arc, pulling up for a potential game-winner but his shot went just wide, solidifying the 60-59 outcome.
 
Both teams shot less than 35 percent from the field with the Hawks more productive, going 34.5 percent versus the Privateers 29.3 percent from the floor. SUNY New Paltz scored more than half their points in the paint, while forcing 22 Maritime turnovers, capitalizing with 15 points off those miscues. The visitors held the advantage on the glass, 39-33 and shot better from 3-point range, going 6-for-21, while scoring 20 points from the foul line.
 
Rivera led all scorers with 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field in 38 minutes, while adding eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Matthews followed with 13 points and 10 rebounds, going 5-for-13 from the field in 37 minutes, adding two blocks.

SUNY New Paltz returns to the court when the calendar flips in January, opening the New Year at home against Oswego, Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m. 
 
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