In a back-and-forth affair, maybe the biggest shot of the game was made by the Hawks with less than a minute left in the game.
In only his second night back after missing four games due to a thumb injury, fifth-year senior Sean St. Lucia was inserted into the lineup for SUNY New Paltz and provided a spark. Maybe the most crucial was a swish from 3-point range that pushed his team back in front 63-62. The Mustangs tied the score next time down the floor, but never re-gained the lead, as Dakoda Smith attacked the rim and finished tough for two. Morrisville chased from there and the Hawks closed out on the eventual, 68-67 victory.
SUNY New Paltz improved to 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the SUNYAC with the victory, picking up its fourth consecutive, while Morrisville dropped to 8-6 and 4-3, respectively.
The Mustangs led for most of the first half with Mitchell Cumings tying the score at 16-all for the Hawks with 10 minutes left. Morrisville answered with two straight baskets to remain in control and never relinquished the lead for the rest of the half, even going up by as many as nine. St. Lucia matched a trey for a trey, as he brought the difference back down to six with less than two minutes left on the ensuing offensive possession for his team.
Isaiah Rivera tipped-in St. Lucia’s next attempt in the paint to bring the score to 31-27, but Morrisville registered the final points of the period with a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds to go up by six at the break.
A.J. Knight tied the score at 36 early in the second half on a make in the paint off a dish by St. Lucia. St. Lucia tied the score again at 38 with a pair of free throws and Rivera knotted the game once more on a 3-pointer, but it wasn’t until an and-1 by Knight the Hawks finally took the lead at 44-43 with about 15 minutes to go.
The score was tied four more times with eight different lead changes down the stretch with Morrisville taking a 61-60 lead with less than three minutes left following a made layup. The visitors forced a turnover on a steal and called a timeout with two minutes left. It earned a look at the basket, but the Hawks did well to contest and forced the errant shot that was picked up by Ethan St. Lucia to give his team a chance to re-gain the lead.
Sean St. Lucia then came through for his team, hitting over a screen from the perimeter to ignite the home bench and crowd after giving his team back the lead. Morrisivlle answered with two in the paint to tie the game one last time, but Smith went right back down the floor and attacked the basket to produce another advantage for the hosts.
SUNY New Paltz hit its free throws to ice the win from there, as St. Lucia drew an early foul with Morrisville in the bonus, making 1-of-2 to push the cushion to three with 20 seconds left. The Mustangs added one from the line and was forced to miss purposely hoping to get another possession for two points, but the ball hit off a Mustang and out of play with A.J. Knight icing the win with two more free throws to create a two-possession game.
Sean St. Lucia led all scorers for a season-high 18 points, while recording seven rebounds and an assist. Knight followed with 17 points, three assists, two stelas and a rebound. Smith was the only other Hawk in double-figure points, registering 14 on 6-for-11 shooting with four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The victory and 2-0 weekend pushed the Hawks atop of the SUNYAC standings. They hope to add to the win column Tuesday when they host SUNY Canton to conclude their regular season series. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
