Second half surge propels Buffalo State past Hawks

BUFFALO, NY- The SUNY New Paltz men’s basketball team could not recover from a second surge from the Bengals from Buffalo State and fall 80-65 Saturday evening.

In the first half, the Hawks fell behind 4-2 in the opening minutes, but the Hawks were quick to regain the lead with an 11-4 run to take a 13-8 lead with 14:38 remaining.  The Bengals tied the contest at 13-13 at 11:35 and took control of the game with a 15-5 run to take a 28-18 lead with 3:34 in the half.  The Bengals went into the break with a 35-26 advantage.

Freshman guard Harris Wichard (Merrick, NY/Bellmore JFK) led the Hawks with ten points and junior forward Lee Bertram (Bay Port, NY/Bayport Blue-Point) added five points and nine rebounds.  Junior forward Connor Cornine (Warwick, NY/Don Bosco Prep) chipped in with five points and two rebounds.

Buffalo State was led by Antonio Speed with ten points and Jamar Gray and Norman Simmons each added eight points apiece.

The second half, the Bengals pulled away from the Hawks with a 23-10 run over the first seven and half minutes to take a 57-34 lead with 12:41 remaining.  The Hawks would chip away at the 23 point deficit to cut the lead to nine with 1:11 remaining in the game, but the Bengals would not allow the Hawks to come any closer.

Wichard finished with a game and career high 21 points and six rebounds and senior guard Matt Hauser (East Williston, NY/Chaminade) added 16 points and two rebounds.  Bertram recorded a double-double with 11 points, a game high 13 rebounds and two steals.  Cornine finished with nine points and three rebounds and junior guard Oppong Agyemang (Windsor, CT/Windsor) had six rebounds, a game high seven assists and two steals in the Hawks efforts.

Buffalo State was led by Speed with 16 points, six rebounds and three block shots and Gray added 14 points, four rebounds and three steals.  Simmons chipped in with 11 points and four rebounds and Glenroy Carr had ten points and six rebounds.  The Bengals improve to 13-9 overall and 10-4 in the SUNYAC.

The Hawks fall to 7-15 overall and 4-9 in the SUNYAC.  The Hawks return to the court Tuesday against Oneonta at 8 p.m. in Alumni Field House on the campus of Oneonta State.