CORTLAND, NY- The New Paltz men’s basketball team defeated the Red Dragons from Cortland Tuesday night, 82-77 behind a career night from sophomore Jayquan Anderson from the free throw line. It is the first win for the Hawks over Cortland in 11 meetings and the last coming in a 69-52 victory on January 22, 2001 at Cortland. Four Hawks finish in double-digits to help the Hawks improve to 6-5 overall and 2-3 in the SUNYAC.
Head coach Dagan Nelson said “It was a total team effort and we found a way to win a close game with our free throw shooting. It’s a great win to build on and mature as a team as the season progresses.”
Sophomore Jayquan Anderson had a game-high 18 points on a career best 12-of-13 from the free throw line and added five rebounds and three steals. Sophomores Harris Wichard and Shereef Taylor each added 16 points and four rebounds a piece and freshman Nick Taldi chipped in with 14 points on 4-of-5 from behind the arc. The nations assist leader, Oppong Agyemang had a solid game with seven points and game-highs of seven rebounds and six assists.
Rob Evans led the Red Dragons with 17 points and Paul Oliver added 13 points and seven rebounds. Brian Manning chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists as the Red Dragons fall to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in the SUNYAC.
After trailing by three, 70-67 with 3:34 remaining in the game, the Hawks would tie the game at 73-73 with 1:53 to go. The Hawks would continue playing strong and finish the game on a 9-4 run to earn their second conference win of the season.
