Utica, N.Y. — The SUNY Poly men's basketball team battled throughout four quarters on Saturday afternoon, but ultimately fell 86–70 at home to the Clarkson University Golden Knights. The Wildcats move to 3–2 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Clarkson opened the game with early momentum, scoring the first four points behind layups from Steve DeRegis and Nate Abernethy. SUNY Poly struggled out of the gate, missing their first several attempts before Anthony Rose got the Wildcats on the board with a fastbreak layup at the 17:28 mark.
Clarkson continued to control the pace, extending the lead to 14–6 behind strong inside play from DeRegis and efficient free-throw shooting from Abernethy. The Wildcats slowly began chipping away, with Rose knocking down a jumper and later adding a pair of free throws to keep Poly within reach.
A stretch midway through the half saw Clarkson push the lead to double digits, helped by back-to-back threes from Braeden Burns and steady rebounding on both ends. SUNY Poly answered with buckets from Leighton Williams Jr., Oumaru Hydara, and a three from Brian Bonin to pull within 26–19.
But the Golden Knights responded again. Nate Abernethy converted a dunk in transition, and Lorenzo Rappa added a fastbreak layup as Clarkson rebuilt an 11-point advantage. Rose continued to carry the Wildcats offensively, scoring three straight baskets and adding free throws late in the half. His last two drives brought Poly within four at 39–35.
Clarkson opened the second half with a pair of threes from Aydin Kocak and Brandon DeRegis to move ahead 45–36. SUNY Poly worked to settle in offensively but couldn't convert on a few early perimeter looks, allowing the Golden Knights to keep the momentum.
Kocak added another three at the 16:47 mark to extend the lead to 48–36 before Kamryn Comstock broke the Wildcats' scoring drought with a layup inside. Clarkson responded with baskets from Grayson Wallace and another three, pushing the score to 53–40.
SUNY Poly continued to generate quality looks, getting contributions from Hydara, Bonin, and Rose — including a strong sequence from Rose with a pair of finishes at the rim — but Clarkson countered with timely shooting of their own. Wallace connected on two more threes, and Tyson Maxam added back-to-back triples to widen the margin to 71–52 with just over seven minutes to play.
The Wildcats kept competing down the stretch, picking up additional points from Rose and Comstock, but the gap remained in Clarkson's favor. The Golden Knights maintained their pace through the final minutes and secured the 86-70 win.
