POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (11-10, 9-7 SUNYAC) came out firing and defeated SUNY Geneseo (10-12, 8-8) 80-72 on Saturday afternoon in Jerry Welsh Gymnasium. Sophomore guard
Colton Huestis (Ticonderoga, N.Y./Ticonderoga) scorched the Knights with a career-high 26 points, including 6-of-11 from behind-the-arc. Sophomore center
Tyrese Baptiste (Brooklyn, N.Y./Eagle Academy II) got his usual double-double of 17 points and 13 boards. Freshmen guard
Jeff Williamson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Prior to the game, the Bears honored their lone senior
Dante Viskovich (Massena, N.Y./Massena) on Senior Day.
Potsdam opened the contest with a 16-5 run over the first seven minutes, including six points from Baptiste and threes from Williamson and freshman forward
Parker Kelly (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown). Another Kelly three made it a 25-12 advantage at 10:41. The shots kept falling and a three from Huestis gave Potsdam its biggest lead of the game at 43-21. Williamson hit a three with 39 seconds left and the Bears took a 48-29 lead into the break.
Geneseo spent the second half chipping away at Potsdam's lead. The teams matched each other point for point through the first 7:30 and another three from Huestis maintained the 19-point lead at 59-40. Over the next nine minutes, Geneseo outscored Potsdam 22-10, punctuated with a three from graduate student Terrance Nichols guard (New York Mills, N.Y./New York Mills) and the Knights trailed just 69-62 with 3:56 to play. After free throws built Potsdam's lead back to 10, Geneseo narrowed the deficit back to 73-66 with 1:23 to play. Kelly energized the Bears with a dunk with 59 seconds left to make it a nine-point game again. The Knights never got within eight points the rest of the way and Potsdam sealed the win at the free-throw line.
Senior forward Michael Gannon (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) led Geneseo with 21 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Ethan St. Lucia (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) had 14 points and seven rebounds.
The Bears wrap up the regular season on the road next weekend. They are at Oneonta State at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and SUNY New Paltz at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Potsdam is currently sitting in fifth place, but hasn't yet clinched a postseason berth.
