NEW PALTZ, NY- The SUNY New Paltz men’s basketball fell 62-61 2OT to York College in the consolation game of the SUNY New Paltz Tip-Off Classic.
In the first half, the Hawks fell behind 12-0 in the first eight minutes of the game and the Cardinals stretched their to 18-5 at the 9:40 mark led by Omari Phipps with eight of his ten points in the first half.
The Hawks responded with a 16-7 run to cut the lead to 25-21 at the half. The Hawks were led by Matt Hauser (East Williston, NY/Chaminade) with six points and Connor Cornine (Warwick, NY/Don Bosco Prep) with six points and six rebounds.
The second half the Cardinals maintained the lead until the 4:48 mark when Jayquan Anderson (Bronx, NY/Frederick Douglass Academy) hit a free throw to tie the contest at 45-45. The Cardinals regained a quick lead to, but only to lose it to the Hawks at the 3:55 mark when Harris Wichard (Merrick, NY/Bellmore JFK) made two free throws.
Both teams had several chances to take the lead in the closing minutes, but failed to hit a shot, sending the contest into the first overtime.
In the first overtime, Shalik Jenkins (Brooklyn, NY/Boys and Girls) hit a three-pointer to give the Hawks the early lead. The Hawks were leading by two with 12 seconds to go when Ryan Exum hit the game tying bucket with four seconds left to send the game into the second overtime.
The second overtime, both teams struggled to make shots. The Hawks Anderson made two free throws to tie the contest at 61-61 with 2:19 left. The Cardinals Nahum Verna was fouled with six seconds to go and went to the free throw line for two, making only one of two, the Hawks still had a chance to win the game. The inbound came into Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, NY/FDR) and he drove the length of the court and took a running three-pointer that went of the side of the rim to give the Cardinals the 62-61 double overtime victory.
Phipps led the Cardinals with a game high 20 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks and six steals and Exum added 12 points and eight rebounds. Verna chipped in with 14 points and four rebounds. The Cardinals improve to 1-2 overall.
The Hawks were led by freshman guard Jenkins with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Junior forward Cornine recorded a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Anderson chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds. The Hawks fall to 1-2 on the season.
The Hawks return to the court Tuesday November 25 at 8 p.m. against SUNY IT in a non-conference match-up.
