Men’s Basketball Edges Oneonta

NEW PALTZ — Robert Jones had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the second half to help New Paltz erase a 29-24 halftime deficit, en route to an exciting 71-62 victory over SUNYAC men’s basketball rival Oneonta on Saturday afternoon at Elting Gymnasium.

Jones finished with a game-high 20 points and 18 rebounds, and added four assists and three blocks, to lead the (5-10) Hawk offense, which also featured Mac Cavanaugh (18 points) and Ben Davey (11 points). New Paltz connected on 53 percent of its shots in the second half, after a dismal 11-34 (32 percent) showing over the first 20 minutes of action.

After jumping out to a 9-6 advantage early, the Hawks fell behind with 9:44 remaining in the first half, but kept the game within reach throughout, finally regaining the lead with eight minutes left in the contest, and holding off the Red Dragons the rest of the way.

New Paltz will next turn its attention to the task of sweeping the season series from Utica/Rome when they travel to the Wildcats’ Campus Center for an 8 p.m. contest on Tuesday.