NEW PALTZ, NY — — Fighting to keep its SUNYAC Tournament hopes alive, the SUNY New Paltz men’s basketball team fell 82-70 to Oswego this afternoon.
The Hawks (9-12, 3-9) entered the game in ninth-place and a half game behind Buffalo State in the race for the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament. The Hawks will play host to the Bengals tomorrow afternoon.
Oswego (18-4, 9-4) used a balanced attack to keep its hopes of earning the one of the top-seeds in the upcoming conference tournament. The Lakers began the evening in a four-way tie for second place in the league. Junior guard/forward Ahmad Mims (Syracuse, NY) led five Lakers in double figures with 19 points. Sophomore forward Mat Burridge (Oswego, NY) added 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
The Hawks held the lead for the first eight minutes of the first half before Oswego pulled even at 18 at the 12:20 mark on a three-point field goal by Mims. From there, the Lakers outscored SUNY New Paltz 13-5 to take a 31-23 lead with six minutes remaining. SUNY New Paltz then scored the final six points of the first half to trim a 43-26 deficit to 43-23 at the break.
Sophomore forward Amseshem Foluke-Henderson (Jamaica, NY) led all scorers with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward John Hauser (East Williston, NY) also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
