NEW PALTZ, NY — Kyle Nelson made a layup with ten seconds remaining in overtime to give the Hawks the 75-74 win. It is the first time since the 2000-2001 season that New Paltz has defeated Buffalo State. Sophomore Lee Bertram grabbed a defensive rebound off a missed jumper by Buffalo State’s Jamar Gray, and found Matt Hauser who fed the ball to Nelson in the lane for the winning basket. The Hawks defense held strong in the final 10 seconds of play and with two ticks left on the clock Anderson White took the ball out underneath the hoop for Buffalo State and tried to lob the ball in, but it was tipped and stolen by Hauser at the buzzer.
Buffalo State started the extra session strong on a 6-0 run, before New Paltz composed themselves in a timeout. Senior Jimmy Sugrue grabbed his own rebound at 2:17 and made his second attempt to close the gap to four, but Buffalo State answered with a jumpshot by James Tyndal at 74-68 with 1:50 remaining. Bertram sank two free throw attempts and Sugrue took advantage of a Buffalo State turnover and nailed a three to cut the game to one at 74-73 to set the stage for Nelson’s layup.
In the first half of the game, New Paltz jumped out to an early 16-8 lead and followed with a 17-5 run to extend their lead to 20 points, including three buckets from the arc by Hauser. Buffalo State answered with a 10-0 run to close the gap but that’s as close as they would come before the 41-27 halftime score.
The Bengals started the second half strong with a 7-0 run and battled their way back to take their first lead of the game at 58-57 with 5:30 remaining in regulation. It was a back and fourth battle in the final minutes with New Paltz holding a two point lead at 66-64 with one minute left. White made a layup at 00:45 to even the game. Tyndal missed a jump shot at 00:08 and Brian Kuar hauled down the defensive board and before New Paltz could breakaway down the court, New Paltz used their final timeout. The final possession didn’t fall, forcing the overtime session.
Bertram led New Paltz with 21 points, eight rebounds and Hauser finished with 16 points on 5-8 from the arc and dished out five assists. Nelson chipped in with 15 points and Sugrue added 12, five of which came in the overtime.
Both teams shot 44% but New Paltz shot 50% from the arc and 78.6% from the line, compared to the Bengals who shot 36.4% from the arc and only 40% from the charity stripe. The Hawks held a slight 42-38 advantage on the boards.
New Paltz returns to action on Tuesday January 22nd when they travel to Oneonta to take on the Red Dragons at 8:00 pm.
