Rochester, N.Y. — The SUNY Poly men's basketball team battled to the final buzzer Saturday afternoon but came up just short in a heartbreaking 73–71 loss to Nazareth University 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The opening minutes set the tone for a physical, back-and-forth contest. Kamryn Comstock got SUNY Poly going early, knocking down a three-pointer less than a minute in, and later added another triple to give the Wildcats an early spark. Nazareth answered with steady interior scoring, while Marqiis Samuels and Anthony Rose attacked the paint to keep SUNY Poly in front through the first media timeout.

The Wildcats leaned on balanced scoring in the first half. Samuels finished strong inside on multiple possessions, Rose mixed in aggressive drives, and Alec Bartone came off the bench to knock down a midrange jumper. Despite SUNY Poly briefly regaining the lead on a late Samuels three, Nazareth closed the half with a surge in the final minute to take a 37–33 advantage into the break.

SUNY Poly came out of halftime with renewed energy. Rose scored on consecutive possessions to quickly trim the deficit, and Brian Bonin drained a three-pointer to put the Wildcats back in front early in the second half. From there, neither team was able to create separation, as the lead changed hands multiple times over the next several minutes.

Comstock tied the game at 42–42 with a three from the wing, and Oumaru Hydara provided a strong presence inside, converting finishes in traffic and knocking down key free throws to keep SUNY Poly within striking distance. The game remained deadlocked deep into the final ten minutes, with Rose, Samuels, and Hydara all delivering timely baskets.

Down the stretch, Rose repeatedly got to the free-throw line and converted under pressure, giving the Wildcats late leads at the two-minute mark and again inside the final minute. However, Nazareth answered each time, and after a SUNY Poly miss in the closing seconds, the Golden Flyers scored at the buzzer to secure the 73–71 victory.

"Gut wrenching loss today," said head coach Rob Schoener. "We competed like crazy, and had chances in the last couple minutes that we didn't take advantage of. Proud of our guys. We are gonna learn a lot from today and keep getting better."