Harris Wichard scored a team-high 15 points, leading a balanced effort as the SUNY New Paltz men’s basketball team netted 59.3 percent (35-for-59) of its shots in a 88-76 victory over Wheaton College (MA) in the first round of the New York University Holiday Tournament on Monday night.
Wichard went 7-for-9 from the field and led five SUNY New Paltz players in double digits. Shalik Jenkins added 14 tallies, while the trio of Jayquan Anderson, Lee Bertram and Matt Hauser each chipped in with 13. Bertram and Hauser each grabbed six rebounds while Oppong Agyemang dished out a game-high seven assists.
The game was tied six times in the first half with the last one coming at 8:26 with the scored even at 19. The Hawks led by one with 3:16 remaining in the half before out scoring Wheaton 11-3 for the 42-33 half time score. The Lyons cut the lead to five at 50-45 but could come no closer as New Paltz led by as many as 18 in the second half on a three pointer by Hauser with 10:12 left on the clock.
The Hawks (4-5) will now play NYU for the Tournament championship Tuesday night at 8 p.m.
