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New Paltz fends off Potsdam men's basketball furious 2nd half rally

Posted 1/18/14

The Bears certainly made it an interesting ending. The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team came back from a 14-point second half deficit and nearly pulled out a stunner before losing a 66-64 …

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New Paltz fends off Potsdam men's basketball furious 2nd half rally

Posted

The Bears certainly made it an interesting ending.

The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team came back from a 14-point second half deficit and nearly pulled out a stunner before losing a 66-64 heartbreaker on the road to New Paltz in a SUNYAC game Saturday afternoon.

Led by the efforts of Rob Duquette and Zac Adams, the Bears used an 11-1 run to trail by just two points with 3:26 remaining in the game. A Rishawd Hendricks 3-pointer followed by a pair of Duquette jumpers, an Adams fast break layup and a jump shot by Joe Estramonte gave Potsdam a chance.

Down 65-62 with 1:48 to play, Adams swooped to the hoop for another layup and brought his team within one. It was the last field goal that either team would score in the final minutes.

A missed lay in and rebounding woes hurt Potsdam's chances as the Hawks (6-8 overall, 3-4 SUNYAC) were able to collect three huge offensive rebounds during the last two possessions.

Duquette came up with a blocked shot with 13 seconds left and the Bears (2-11 overall, 0-6 SUNYAC) trailing by just one, but New Paltz was able to maintain possession with a team rebound. The Hawks' Keegan Donovan made 1-of-2 free throws to offer one last chance for the Bears, but Hendricks' 3-pointer from the top of the key bounced off the backboard.

Senior forward Rob Duquette (Peru, N.Y. / Peru) really came alive in the second half with 13 of his 17 points coming after halftime. He finished shooting 7-of-14 from the field and collected 17 rebounds and a season-high four blocks.

Potsdam really picked up it up offensively in the second half by shooting 51 percent from the field after converting on just 34 percent in the opening half. The Bears struggled overall to find the range from the outside, only hitting 3-of-16 from beyond the arc.

Junior guard/forward Zac Adams (Potsdam, N.Y. / Potsdam) shot 7-of-12 from the floor for 16 points, his most points scored since November 16 against Farmingdale State (20 points). Adams also had four rebounds and a season-high three blocks.

Senior Brandon Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Boys & Girls) and junior Rishawd Hendricks (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Mount Zion Christian Academy) had nine points apiece.

There were three players, who reached in double digit scoring for the Hawks. Nick Taldi led with 15 points, Taylor Sowah had 14 and Andrew Seniuk added 11.

Potsdam will continue its road trip with a visit to Plattsburgh State (10-3 overall, 4-2 SUNYAC) on Tuesday at 8 p.m.