Utica, N.Y. — The SUNY Poly men's basketball team turned in a gritty, defensive-minded second half on Tuesday night, erasing a halftime deficit to defeat the Hartwick CollegeHawks by a score of 71–67 in a hard-fought conference battle. With the win, the Wildcats move to 8-2 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SUNY Poly wasted no time getting on the board, as William Scanlon knocked down a three-pointer just 24 seconds into the game off a feed from Anthony Rose. Hartwick answered quickly with interior scoring, and the opening minutes featured back-and-forth action with neither side able to create separation.
The Wildcats found early success attacking the paint. Marqiis Samuels finished inside off a Kamryn Comstock assist, and Brian Bonin drilled a three at the 17-minute mark to give SUNY Poly a 9–4 edge. Hartwick responded with steady pressure in transition and on the glass, slowly chipping away at the deficit.
Midway through the half, both teams traded baskets and defensive stops as the lead changed hands several times. Alec Bartone and Bonin provided energy off the bench for SUNY Poly, while Hartwick leaned on second-chance points and timely shooting to keep pace.
With just over six minutes remaining, Hartwick began to seize momentum. A 10–2 run, capped by a Mike Gitz three and strong interior finishes, pushed the Hawks in front 27–21. SUNY Poly struggled to find rhythm offensively, while Hartwick continued to capitalize on turnovers and offensive rebounds.
Despite late buckets from Comstock and Rose, Hartwick closed the half on another surge. Back-to-back threes and free throws in the final three minutes extended the Hawks' advantage, sending SUNY Poly into the locker room trailing 43–31 at halftime.
The Wildcats emerged from the break with renewed intensity on the defensive end. Comstock opened the half by knocking down two free throws, and SUNY Poly began to steadily chip away at the deficit by forcing stops and converting in transition.
Hartwick briefly maintained a double-digit lead, but SUNY Poly responded with a balanced attack. Rose, Samuels, and Oumaru Hydara each finished at the rim, while Comstock anchored the defense with multiple blocks in the paint. A Hydara layup at 12:50 trimmed the deficit to five, 51–46, forcing Hartwick to call timeout.
Momentum fully shifted moments later. Following a Comstock steal, Hydara converted a fastbreak layup to pull SUNY Poly within three. The Wildcats continued to apply pressure, and Rose calmly knocked down free throws to make it a one-point game at 53–52 with just over 11 minutes to play.
Hartwick pushed back with interior scoring, but SUNY Poly refused to relent. A series of defensive stops and fastbreak opportunities allowed the Wildcats to stay within striking distance. With 3:05 remaining, Comstock powered in a layup to tie the game at 65–65, igniting the SUNY Poly bench.
From there, Rose took control. He knocked down clutch free throws to give the Wildcats their first lead of the half, and Samuels followed with a key fastbreak layup to extend the advantage to four, 69–65, with under two minutes remaining.
Hartwick managed to cut the lead to two, but SUNY Poly's defense stood tall down the stretch. In the final seconds, Comstock calmly sank two free throws to seal the victory. A last-second Hartwick turnover ended the threat, and the Wildcats secured the 71–67 win.
"I'm really proud of our guys tonight!, said head coach Rob Schoener. "Credit to Hartwick, that's a good team and they really took it to us in the first twenty minutes. Our guys stayed together, locked in on defense and grinded out a win. Great league win!"
