New Paltz Men’s Basketball Advance to SUNYAC Championship

New Paltz Sports Information Department

New Paltz, NY — The only team Dakoda Smith wanted to see Friday night was Plattsburgh State.
 
The senior captain's first meeting against the Cardinals was cut short due to injury which lingered into the second, as Plattsburgh swept the regular season series with Smith sidelined. The Southampton High alum was up for the redemption game Friday night in the Hawk Center with the winner capturing a spot in the SUNYAC Championship Sunday. And fittingly, he made his impact known with the ball in his hands in the final seconds and the game on the line. Smith muscled his way to the basket, laying-in what ended up as the game-winner to seal a 74-72 victory.
 
"This was the only team I wanted to see in the playoffs, and we ended up coming out being able to go against and execute what we wanted to execute," Smith said. "Obviously, it was a slow start, but it was a strong finish. It's not about how you start the game but how you finish the game. I just knew my teammates depended on me and, you know big time plays."
 
With 15.4 seconds on the clock, the Hawks held the ball out of bounds trailing by one. Sean St. Lucia in-bounded on the sideline next to his bench and fed the ball inside to Smith who had a 1-on-1 with Plattsburgh's Jeremiah Smith. The Cardinals didn't rotate, and Dakoda Smith went to work, finding his way on the block, spinning and finishing strong off the glass, earning two and a foul to push his team ahead by two after hitting on the ensuing free throw to complete the traditional three-point play as the Hawk Center erupted.
 
"We've never run that play before, but we've practiced it the last few weeks. It was really to just get a guy, doesn't necessarily have to be [Smith], a good look on somebody we think we can take advantage of. I just thought he got it going, especially with who they had matched up on him," said SUNY New Paltz coach Keith Kenney. "He's been a big-time player all year and I had no doubt he would get a good shot with space. We kind of cleared out space for him and he did the rest. It was an unbelievable play."

The Cardinals pushed up the floor following the make, hoping to get a quick basket as time wound down, but inadvertently threw the ball away trying to find a man in the corner. They were forced to foul with 4.8 seconds left but after two misses from the foul line, they stayed alive with another opportunity to take the lead or at least force extra time with two seconds still on the clock.
 
Plattsburgh advanced the ball and called a timeout to draw up a play, as it in-bounded on the far sideline getting the ball to Franklin Infante, as the Hawks did a good job denying leading scorer Kevin Tabb off a ball-screen. Infante did his best to get a shot off, but SUNY New Paltz freshman Isaiah Rivera stuck close and got his fingertips on the attempt. However, Cardinals' Ikechukwu Ezike was there in front of hoop to pick up the air-ball and attempted a tip-in in at the buzzer, which would have tied the score at 74-all. The entire gym stood with both benches creeping toward the floor awaiting the call from the officials who deliberated and decided on a no-basket, as Ezike's hands were still on the ball as the buzzer sounded, solidifying the Hawks a 74-72 victory.

"Zay is a special player and he's just a great kid who listens to everything he's told, and I was happy for him to be in that moment," Kenney said of Rivera's defensive presence on the game's final possession. "These guys have all been there, but he hasn't, and it just shows the trust we have in him to make that type of play. It's really hard to make that play without fouling. We made a decision in the huddle to put him in for defense, and for a kid who's been lighting it up on offense for most of the year I'm just really proud of the play that he made. He listened to what he was supposed to do and executed it."
 
The game was destined for a dramatic end, as it was close throughout seeing 19 different lead changes with the game tied seven times. SUNY New Paltz climbed back from an eight-point hole with five minutes left in the first half to go into the break knotted at 41-all. Sean St. Lucia and A.J. Knight were the first-half catalysts, combining for more than half of their team's offense in the opening 20 minutes with the Hawks struck with early injuries, first to starting forward Ethan St. Lucia and then to Alex Krupinski off the bench with the two sidelined for the rest of the game after the opening minutes.
 
Sean St. Lucia and Knight provided timely buckets. Knight grabbed the lead back for SUNY New Paltz at 29-27 with about seven minutes left following a make from 3-point range. The Cardinals responded though, going on a 10-0 run before Mitchell Cumings put an end to the stretch with a dunk. Plattsburgh again answered, swishing from the perimeter to take its largest lead of the half at 40-31, but the Hawks grinded in the final five minutes to out-score the opposition 10-1 to end the first.
 
"We always preach strength in numbers and if it's not my day, it's A.J.'s and if it's not A.J.'s it's somebody else's," St. Lucia said. "Me and A.J. happened to be the ones making the shots in the first half today, but it's not always like that. We've got nine-10, 12 guys honestly that can be starters at most schools and they're always ready to play. We just follow coach's game plan and try to get it done."
 
St. Lucia started the stretch with a triple before adding another tough 3-pointer as the shot clock buzzer sounded, shooting over his man well off the arc, banking his attempt in to spark his team. Knight followed up with a corner 3 to bring the Hawks within one with less than a minute to go and added another point two possession later after earning a trip to the line, making 1-of-2. SUNY New Paltz played tight defensively on the final possession to hold the score at 41-all.
 
"For me, I honestly thought it was a pattern. I thought in the first half I started off slow and the second half is when I started to turn up, but my preparation was a little bit different this time," Knight said. "My mindset shifted also, just understanding that it's crutch time. You don't have time to wait until the second half. That was my intention going into the first half, to be as focused as I am down the stretch."
 
The Hawks countered an early five-point deficit with an 8-0 run, capped by Rivera who sliced his way toward the basket and finished to push his team ahead, 57-54 halfway through the period. Plattsburgh answered with a run of its own, capped by a trey from Kareem Welch. Dakoda Smith ended the run, finishing inside as he started finding his touch offensively after being limited to just two first-half points.

 
Kevin Tabb re-took the advantage for the Cardinals, hitting from the perimeter but Smith worked his way back on the block and connected to get SUNY New Paltz within one with six minutes left. Knight brought the difference back down to two with an important 3-pointer with four minutes remaining to stymy some Plattsburgh momentum building. Smith, meanwhile, stayed aggressive and added a point on a trip to the foul line before finishing on an ally-oop tip-in on a pass by Knight to cut the score to 72-71.
 
St. Lucia played tight defense next time down the floor, forcing the Cardinals in a tough fade-away jumper that was short. The hosts advanced the ball and called a timeout with 15.4 seconds left with Kenney drawing up a play that led to Smith's go-ahead, game-winning bucket.
 
"I told them after the game, they did everything we asked them to do. I think early in the game they were scoring against what they normally do.," Kenney said. "They were hitting a lot of 3-point shots and that's what we were kind of allowing, because they destroyed us in the paint the last couple games. The guys did everything we asked them to do. Plattsburgh just made a ton of shots. I was the proudest of the execution down the stretch, making great defensive stops and just battling back from two deficits."
 
Smith finished with 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting with seven rebounds and three assists. Knight led the team with 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting with two rebounds, two assists and a block, while St. Lucia and Cumings each had 15 points with St. Lucia adding a game-high six assists.
 
"I think as a veteran group, being that we've been here before, we're kind of on the other end," Knight said. "Oswego had the experience of being a defending champion [last year], but I think for us having the experience coming into tomorrow with a fresh mind, a new scout, a brand-new team, we'll be able to celebrate today Sunday. As far as tomorrow, it's just about going in and win again."
 
The win places the Hawks back in the SUNYAC final for the second-straight year, looking for consecutive titles and the first on their home floor. They'll face a new opponent in the Cortland Red Dragons who eliminated the No. 2 seeded Lakers in the other semifinal round Friday night in the Hawk Center.
 
SUNY New Paltz won both matchups against Cortland during the regular season, including most recently on Feb. 15, 54-39 and back in the Hawk Center Jan .17, 82-76.
 
"We've beat them twice in the regular season, so they're in the same position that we were against Plattsburgh, so I only expect them to come out aggressive," Smith said. "The same way they came out today against Oswego. We know we have to be the more physical team, can't back down from anything. We just got to give it our all."
 
The Hawks are set to tip-off against the Red Dragons Saturday in the Hawk Center at 4 p.m. in the 2025 SUNYAC Championship final.
 
"I've got so much trust in these guys, the whole team, the coaching staff. I mean, they've never sent us in the wrong direction," St. Lucia added. "And these guys, we know if we do what we're told in practice and follow the game plan, we all trust each and good things always happen."
 

Post-Game Press Conference 
Featuring Coach Keith Kenney, Sean St. Lucia, A.J. Knight & Dakoda Smith