FREDONIA, N.Y. --- The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (12-9, 8-6 SUNYAC) defeated SUNY Fredonia (2-19, 1-13) 75-66 on Sunday afternoon. After a close first half, both teams made runs in the second to try and pull out the victory, but it was the Bears that secured the win with their free throw shooting. Senior forward Serigne Kane (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Prep) led the Bears with a career-high 21 points (14 in the second half) on perfect 10-for-10 shooting to go along with nine rebounds. Senior guard Dante Langley (Schuylerville, N.Y./Schuylerville) and junior guard Danny Delsol-Lowry (Queens, N.Y./Queens High School of Teaching) scored 15 points each in the win.
 
Kane scored the first field goal of the game with his post move within the first two minutes. He followed it up with a layup through contact to make it a 7-0 Bears advantage. Tyler Roberts got the Blue Devils on the scoreboard with his scoop layup on the next play. Kane continued his attack inside scoring again through contact, scoring six of the Bears first nine points. Langley then scored on back-to-back possessions for Potsdam. First finishing through contact and completing the three-point play and then dribbling through half-court and splitting through the defense for the layup. Junior center Kristoff Saunders (Queens, N.Y./Queens High School of Teaching) completed the 9-0 run for the Bears with his layup at the 13:06 mark, making it 18-5. Down 13, the Blue Devils responded with an 8-0 run that was ignited by Mark Morgan's reverse layup and capped off by Bediako Nyasa's off-the-dribble jump shot. Coming out of the timeout, after a Bears miss, Nyasa hit a pull up jump shot with a hand in his face to make it a two-point game. The Blue Devils eventually took their first lead of the game after Messiah Hill's scoop layup at the 6:56 mark, making it 20-19. With 2:46 left, Delsol-Lowry finished through two defenders and completed another three-point play, giving the Bears the 26-24 lead. De'Quan Smith responded on the very next possession for the Blue Devils and completed a three-point play opportunity of his own. Langley then closed the half with his baseline jumper and the Bears led 33-29 after 20 minutes.
 
Sophomore guard Colby Simpson (Queens, N.Y./Queens H.S. of Teaching) opened up the second half scoring with his layup early. After the 3-pointer from Cody Johnson on the other end, Kane made his fifth field goal on as many attempts followed by a free throw to complete a three-point play for a 40-34 lead. The Blue Devils called a timeout after junior guard Aaron Armstrong's (Lisbon, N.Y./Madrid-Waddington) reverse layup on Kane's dish from the post. At the 15:19 mark, Hill gave Fredonia momentum as he blew past his defender and finished a two-handed jam. The Bears once again took a double-digit lead after junior guard Jayquan Thomas (Hollis, N.Y./Richmond Hill) dished to Langley for a layup on the 3-on-1 transition play. The Blue Devils got themselves back in the game with a 13-4 run that was sparked by Smith's three at the 8:22 mark. Isaiah Ice finished the run with his layup and brought the home team to within 63-59. Kane gave the Bears back the momentum with his dunk off a Delsol-Lowry pass with just over a minute left. The dunk gave the Bears a seven point lead and time on their side. During the final minute, the Bears defense was able to get key stops and it was clutch free throw shooting that secured the 75-66 win.
 
Ice finished with 15 points and Smith had 14 points for the Blue Devils.
 
Potsdam shot 48% from the field, while Fredonia shot 44%.
 
The Bears also outrebounded the Blue Devils 39-24.
 
The Bears are back home Friday as they host Oswego State at the Jerry Welsh Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.