POTSDAM, N.Y.—Buffalo State (2-15, 1-9 SUNYAC) got off to a hot start, but the SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (8-6, 6-3) rallied in the second half and went on to a 77-66 victory on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore center
Tyrese Baptiste (Brooklyn, N.Y./Eagle Academy II) led all scorers with 26 points to go with eight rebounds. Junior forward
Brandon Segar Jr. (Jamaica, N.Y./Richmond Hill) had 13 points and freshman guard
MeSean Johnson (Ogdensburg, N.Y./Ogdensburg Free Academy) had 10 along with seven boards.
The Bengals hit four consecutive 3-pointers to build a 12-4 advantage just 4:09 into the game. Buffalo State sophomore guard Robert Richards (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) hit the first three and Potsdam was on its heels. At 14:51, junior guard DaRon Hughey (Hartford, Conn./The Masters School) scored from long range and the Bengals led 18-7. Down 22-11 at 13:19, Potsdam's offense started to click. Sophomore center
Chris Becker (Lake George, N.Y./Lake George) scored on a layup to ignite a 17-10 run. At 6:04, Baptiste tied the game at 28 with a layup. Segar scored six points and sophomore guard
Isaac Oduro Jr. (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) had five. With the game tied at 30, Buffalo State went on an 8-1 run, with four points each from sophomore forward Marquell Boutwell (Liverpool, N.Y./Nottingham) and sophomore guard Argjend Imeri (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham). Potsdam scored its final four points of the half from the free-throw line and the Bears trailed 40-35 at the break.
The Bengals stayed out in front by about five points for much of the first five minutes of the second half. Buffalo State sophomore guard Aaron Davis (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) hit a layup at 14:46 for a 49-43 lead. The Bears took control after the basket with a 19-3 run. Oduro tied the game at 51 at 11:36. Baptiste then gave Potsdam the lead for good with a layup with 10 minutes to go. Baptiste scored six during the stretch and freshman
Parker Kelly (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) made it 62-52 with 7:24 to go. Threes from freshman guard Brendyn Cheng (Wantagh, N.Y./Commack) and Roberts narrowed the lead to 65-60 at 4:06. Kelly halted the momentum with a 3-point play and Baptiste followed with a 3-pointer. A layup from Johnson made it 73-60 at 2:18. Potsdam then iced the game from the free-throw line.
Oduro finished with eight points and four rebounds and Parker had seven points and six rebounds.
Roberts paced the Bengals with 22 points. Davis finished with nine and Hughey had eight.
The Bears are currently tied for fourth place with SUNY Geneseo. They face the Knights on the road at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
