Utica, N.Y. — The SUNY Poly men's basketball team closed out the regular season in dramatic fashion Tuesday night, rallying from a halftime deficit to defeat Utica, 69–63. With the victory, the Wildcats finish the regular season 18-7 overall and clinch the No. 4 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament. SUNY Poly will host a first-round playoff game Saturday, February 21st against SUNY Brockport.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Utica set the tone early, capitalizing on turnovers and second-chance opportunities to build an early advantage. Keyaton Parks opened the scoring with a layup, and the Pioneers quickly pushed the lead to six behind interior baskets from Jordan Cain and Liam Teague.
SUNY Poly answered with aggressive play in the paint from Marqiis Samuels and Anthony Rose. Rose converted a pair of free throws after a steal and added a strong finish inside to cut into the deficit. Still, Utica maintained control through much of the half, using efficient scoring from Parks and Teague to stretch the lead to double digits midway through the period.
The Wildcats found a spark from beyond the arc late in the half. Rose knocked down three three-pointers in the final four minutes, including one with 24 seconds remaining, to keep SUNY Poly within striking distance. Despite the late surge, Utica carried a 42–34 lead into the break after a dunk by Parks in the closing seconds.
Out of halftime, Utica briefly extended its advantage to 13, but SUNY Poly's defensive intensity began to shift the momentum. Brian Bonin and Maddox Hughey recorded key blocks, while Oumaru Hydara and Samuels attacked the paint to chip away at the deficit.
A 7–0 spurt midway through the second half brought the Wildcats within one possession. Hydara scored on consecutive trips, and Kamryn Comstock drilled a three-pointer off a Samuels assist to make it a three-point game. Moments later, Rose buried a three from the wing to tie the score at 55–55 with 8:46 remaining.
From there, the contest turned into a back-and-forth battle. Rose gave SUNY Poly its first lead of the half with a pull-up jumper at the 6:52 mark, and Hydara added a fastbreak layup off a steal by William Scanlon to keep the Wildcats in front.
With just over two minutes to play, Rose delivered again, knocking down back-to-back jumpers to extend the lead to four. SUNY Poly tightened up defensively down the stretch, forcing misses on consecutive Utica possessions.
After Utica trimmed the deficit to one, Scanlon calmly sank two free throws with 22 seconds left to push the advantage to six. Following a late Utica basket, Bonin sealed the game at the line with two clutch free throws in the final seconds to secure the 69–63 victory.
"Tonight was a tale of two halves," said head coach Rob Schoener. "We were not good in the first and I challenged our guys at halftime. To say they responded in impressive fashion would be an understatement! I'm so incredibly proud of them. New season starts Saturday……..at home!"
With the regular season complete, SUNY Poly now turns its attention to postseason play, hosting SUNY Brockport on Saturday, February 21st with a trip to the Empire 8 semifinals on the line.
