POTSDAM, N.Y.—Junior forward
Parker Kelly (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds as the SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (2-8, 1-2 SUNYAC) defeated Buffalo State (0-9, 0-2) 77-60 on Friday evening. Senior guard
Colton Huestis (Ticonderoga, N.Y./Ticonderoga) had 15 points for the Bears and junior forward
Kawar Singh (Queens, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 20 rebounds to go with four blocks.
The teams battled evenly through the first 6:11 of the contest. Junior guard
Jeff Williamson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) scored at 13:49 to give the Bears a 13-12 lead and spark a 6-0 run. Sophomore guard
Kaleb Lewis (Greenfield Center, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) and Kelly each followed with a bucket for a 17-12 advantage at 12:23. Bengals junior guard Corcel Smallhome (Queens Village, N.Y./Martin Luther) countered with a three and junior Matt Parkinson (Springfield Gardens, N.Y./John Browne) tied the score at 17 on a layup at 10:06. With 8:34 left in the half, freshman guard
Erik Wall (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) broke a 20-20 deadlock with layup and Potsdam never trailed again. The Bears slowly pulled away over the rest of the half. Two free throws from Kelly in the final minute, sent Potsdam into the locker room up 35-28.
A layup from Singh at 17:26, put the Bears up 41-30. A 7-0 response from the Bengals, capped by a bucket from freshman guard Bryce Williams (Jamaica, N.Y./Campus Magnet), narrowed the gap back to four. The teams matched each other point-for-point over the next few minutes, but a 9-0 run gave Potsdam a 54-41 lead with 11:59 to play. Huestis scored three of the points and Williamson, Kelly and senior guard
Isaac Oduro Jr. (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) accounted for the other six. It was all Bears the rest of the way. Wall drained a three at 8:40 to give Potsdam a 59-43 lead. Kelly hit four free throws in a row to make it a 21-point contest with 6:04 on the clock. Lewis closed Potsdam's scoring with a layup at 0:21 to make it 77-58.
Lewis finished with nine points and five rebounds for the Bears. Oduro scored eight points and grabbed seven boards. Williamson added six points.
Sophomore forward Nigel Burch (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek) paced Buffalo State with 13 points and nine rebounds. Smallhome also reached double digits with 11 points.
The Bears are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they host SUNY Fredonia at 4 p.m.
