Geneseo, N.Y. — The SUNY Poly men's basketball team came up just short on the road Saturday afternoon, falling 75–71 to SUNY Geneseo in a tightly contested conference matchup. The Wildcats are now 17-7 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SUNY Poly wasted no time setting the tone. After Kamryn Comstock opened the scoring with a tip-in just seconds into the game, the Wildcats surged ahead behind a dominant stretch from Anthony Rose. Rose scored nine quick points on three three-pointers — all assisted by Marqiis Samuels — to power a 15–2 run and give SUNY Poly a commanding early advantage.
The Wildcats' defense matched their offensive energy in the opening minutes, with Brian Bonin and Rose controlling the glass and contesting shots in the paint. Alec Bartone added a pair of interior finishes midway through the half to keep SUNY Poly in front as Geneseo attempted to chip away.
Geneseo responded with a strong push of its own behind Josh Garelle and Kaden Durham. A series of second-chance opportunities and transition baskets helped the Knights erase the deficit. After SUNY Poly led 34–27 with just over six minutes to play in the half, Geneseo closed on a 10–2 run, capped by a three-pointer from Colin Gentile and a late tip-in by Garelle, to take a 37–36 lead into the break.
Out of halftime, the Knights extended their momentum, stretching the lead to seven in the opening four minutes of the second half. Rose answered with a fastbreak layup, and Comstock provided a spark inside with consecutive buckets to bring the Wildcats back within one possession.
The back-and-forth battle intensified midway through the half. Oumaru Hydara converted multiple finishes in the paint, including a fastbreak layup off a Rose assist, to give SUNY Poly a 58–56 edge with just over eight minutes remaining. Hydara continued to be a force down low, scoring on three straight possessions to keep the Wildcats in front.
Geneseo, however, answered each push. A layup by Durham and free throws from Gentile helped the Knights regain the lead, setting up a tense final stretch. With under two minutes to play, Hydara scored inside to put SUNY Poly ahead 69–68, but Geneseo responded on the next possession with a go-ahead jumper from Garelle.
Rose calmly converted two free throws with 1:20 remaining to give the Wildcats a 71–70 advantage. Geneseo countered again, as Gentile finished a layup to reclaim the lead with just over a minute left.
In the closing seconds, SUNY Poly had opportunities to tie or take the lead but came up empty from beyond the arc. Forced to foul, the Wildcats saw the Knights convert key free throws in the final seconds to secure the 75–71 decision.
"Tough weekend for us obviously," said head coach Rob Schoener. "Proud of how the guys competed. We just struggled to get a stop in the biggest moments today and you have to be able to do that to win on the road. We'll get back to work and improve this week."
