NEW PALTZ, N.Y. 1/6/09 - The SUNY New Paltz men's basketball
team hit seven of eight free throws in the final minute of the game
to clinch a 73-70 victory over Keene State on Tuesday night. The
Hawks advance to 5-6 on the season, handing Keene State (6-5) their
third consecutive loss.
Keene State took its second lead of the game with 3:25 left in
regulation on a three pointer by sophomore point guard Nate
DiSessa (Westfield, Mass.) to go up 64-62. New Paltz
tied the game on layup by Harris Wichard at 3:06, before
DiSessa, getting the start in his first game with the Owls,
hit another three pointer at 2:43. First year Jayquan
Anderson netted a layup for a one point game, setting the stage for
the foul shots. The Hawks hit six consecutive free throws and
forced a Keene State turnover to take a 72-67 lead, before freshman
Derek D'Amours (Agawam, Mass.) drained a three
pointer with 12 seconds left to make it a two point game.
Oppong Agyemang went 1-2 from the line to complete the
scoring as the Owls' Seth Stantial (Beverly,
Mass.) missed a three point attempt that would have sent
the game into overtime.
First year Shereef Taylor led the way for the Hawks with a
game-high 21 points and hauled down seven boards. Anderson finished
with 12 points on 6-7 from the floor and Wichard chipped in with 10
points as the Hawks shot 44.9% on the night and only committed 10
turnovers.
The Owls were led by Nate Anderson
(Westminster, Mass.) with 17 points and nine
rebounds. D'Amours added 13 points and DiSessa finished with 11
points. Keene State shot 42.9% from the floor, outrebounded the
Hawks 43-33, however they committed 21 turnovers. Senior
Tyler Kathan (Ludlow, Vt.) finished with 12 points
and a game high 13 rebounds.
Keene State took an early 11-6 lead before the Hawks went on a
14-0 run over the next 5:04 for a 20-11 lead. New Paltz led by as
many as 16 in the first half at 33-17 with 2:20 remaining en route
to the 35-21 halftime score. In the second half the Hawks led 44-27
at 17:09 before the Owls went on a 15-0 run for a two point game
with 12 minutes to play.
Keene State returns home to face LEC rival UMass-Dartmouth on
Saturday (3 p.m.).
(Courtesy New Paltz Sports Information)
