Alfred, N.Y. — The SUNY Poly men's basketball team leaned on timely defense and late-game composure Friday night, holding off Alfred University for a 60–55 victory in a tightly contested road matchup. With the win the Wildcats push their record to 9-2 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game opened with a choppy pace as both teams struggled to find offensive rhythm. Turnovers and physical play dominated the opening minutes, but SUNY Poly struck first at the foul line, with Marqiis Samuels knocking down a pair of free throws to open the scoring.
Alfred answered with interior baskets, briefly pulling ahead before Kamryn Comstock ignited the Wildcats with a powerful dunk off a Brian Bonin assist to even the score at 4–4. The early stages featured multiple lead changes, highlighted by Tyler Curran's three-pointer for Alfred and an answering triple from Anthony Rose for SUNY Poly.
As the half progressed, SUNY Poly began to assert themselves in the paint. Oumaru Hydara provided a spark, scoring twice in transition and finishing strong in the paint to give the Wildcats a 14–10 advantage midway through the half. SUNY Poly's defense also made its presence felt, as Alec Bartone and Bonin each recorded blocks during a strong defensive stretch.
Bonin later extended the lead with a three-pointer at the 9:34 mark, and SUNY Poly continued to capitalize on Alfred turnovers. Rose added a fastbreak dunk following a Bonin steal, pushing the lead to double digits at 29–19 with just over five minutes remaining.
Alfred responded late in the half with a series of paint touches from Zion Baitey, but SUNY Poly closed strong. Samuels finished inside with under three minutes to play, and the Wildcats entered halftime holding a 33–25 advantage.
Rose opened the second half with a layup, and Comstock followed with a strong finish inside to extend the lead to 37–28. Alfred stayed within reach behind outside shooting and trips to the free-throw line, but the Wildcats continued to answer.
Steven Dowdall and Hydara provided key baskets midway through the half, helping SUNY Poly maintain a working margin. Alfred gradually chipped away, cutting the deficit to three on multiple occasions behind Franlys Valenzuela's interior scoring and Curran's penetration.
With just under eight minutes remaining, Maddox Hughey converted a layup to give SUNY Poly a 49–40 edge, but Alfred refused to go away. A late push trimmed the Wildcats' lead to just one point at 54–53 with 3:22 remaining, putting pressure on SUNY Poly down the stretch.
The Wildcats responded calmly. Rose knocked down two clutch free throws with just over two minutes to play, and Bonin later split a pair at the line to help maintain the advantage. Alfred was forced to foul in the final seconds, and Rose again delivered, sinking two more free throws to seal the outcome.
Alfred's final three-point attempt at the buzzer came up short, and SUNY Poly walked away with the hard-earned 60–55 road win.
"Alfred is a well-coached team and a tough place to play," said head coach Rob Schoener. "Excited to find a way to get a win on a day we didn't play our best. Gotta turn the page and focus on going 1-0 tomorrow."
