Game Facts
1st Half
New Paltz started out fairly strong very early in the first half, but Oneonta caught up and eventually took the lead. The Red Dragons maintained an eight point advantage with less than a minute left in the first half after a layup from Kevin Mackin, but the Hawks managed to wittle down the deficit thanks to a three-pointer from Jake Passaretti. Oneonta out-rebounded New Paltz 24 to 17, and outshot the Hawks on the floor (44.4 percent to 42.4 percent). Oneonta's Ian Schultz led his team with 10 points in the half, while Passaretti led the Hawks with nine. At halftime, Oneonta led New Paltz 39 to 35.
2nd Half
Oneonta's shooting suffered a bit during the second half, and New Paltz took advantage. Oneonta shot just 32.3 percent from the floor, whereas New Paltz maintained a 42.4 percent field goal percentage. The Hawks also out-rebounded the Red Dragons 24 to 19. Despite their shooting woes, Oneonta was tenacious, and never let New Paltz get ahead until 5:41 when Nick Paquette nailed a three. Both teams managed to keep the game close all throughout the second half; the largest differential between the two teams happened with 11:55 left after a second free throw from Andres Rivera put the Red Dragons up by five points. With just four seconds left, Oneonta's Harrison Deegan fouled New Paltz's Cory Garcia. Garcia made both free throws, putting the Hawks ahead by three. But a clutch three-pointer by Joseph Bull as the buzzer went off kept the game alive for Oneonta. Both teams went into overtime tied up at 68. Bull led Oneonta with seven points in the second half, while New Paltz's Paquette scored 14.
Overtime
It didn't take long before Oneonta grabbed a lead over New Paltz, but the Hawks worked hard to keep the game close. The Hawks grabbed seven rebounds compared to two for the Red Dragons, while shooting more efficiently from the floor and the free throw line; but Oneonta still managed to be tough to slow down. Bull's jumper put the Red Dragons up 77 to 75 with 1:24 left, but New Paltz's Tristan Wisseman made a bucket in the paint to tie the game with less than a minute remaining. From then on, the Hawks' defense managed to keep Oneonta at bay. With just seven seconds left on the clock, Garcia made an off-balance shot that put New Paltz up 79-77. Oneonta managed to put up a three-point attempt as time expired, but came up short, and the Hawks came away victorious.
Player of the Game
New Paltz's Garcia was quiet in the first half, missing all four of his shot attempts. Where he fell short offensively in that half, however, he made up by leading his team with five rebounds. The second half is where the senior ended up shining the most, however. Though he only scored five points during the second half, Garcia made all of them count. With his team holding on to a slim 66-65 lead, he was sent to the foul line with four seconds remaining and made two clutch free throws. Those two points put the Hawks ahead of Oneonta by three points. Had Garcia missed even one of those free throw attempts, Oneonta would have won the game thanks to Bull's three-pointer that sent the game into overtime. Garcia's lone field goal he made during the entire game couldn't have come at a better time - the senior became the hero with his game-winning basket that gave the Hawks their first victory over Oneonta since 2013.
Inside the Stats
- New Paltz outshot Oneonta from the floor (43.8 precent vs 38.7 percent), including behind the three point line (31.0 percent vs 27.6 percent).
- Oneonta took more free throws than New Paltz, making 64.7 percent of them, whereas New Paltz made 54.5 percent of theirs.
- Five Oneonta players scored 10 points or more, while New Paltz had three of their players accomplish the same feat.
- New Paltz accumulated 13 second chance points, compared to Oneonta's six points.
- New Paltz players coming off the bench combined for 30 points in the game, compared to 13 points for Oneonta.
- In overtime, New Paltz grabbed seven rebounds, while Oneonta managed to get two.
- Oneonta and New Paltz each saw their lead change six times in the game.
Game Leaders
New Paltz
- Field goals: Jake Passaretti - 9
- Three point field goals: Nick Paquette - 5
- Points: Jake Passaretti - 20
- Assists: Paddy Parr - 6
- Rebounds: Tristan Wissemann - 9
Oneonta
- Field goals:Kevin Mackin/Joseph Bull - 7
- Three point field goals: Ian Schultz/Kevin Mackin - 3
- Points: Kevin Mackin/Joseph Bull - 17
- Assists: Sean Nolan - 6
- Rebounds: Andres Rivera - 14
What's Next
New Paltz: The Hawks, who are undefeated at home, will look to improve upon their road record as they enter the Medgar Evers College Tournament Dec. 29 and 30.
Oneonta: The Red Dragons will head to the west coast to play at Chapman and La Verne on Dec. 19 and 20.
