POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (1-6, 1-0 SUNYAC) grabbed the lead early and never let up in a 84-71 victory over Buffalo State (4-3, 0-1) on Friday evening in the team's SUNYAC opener.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Freshman center Batualp Ozen (Ankara, Turkey/Furtah Prep) broke a 6-6 tie with layup at 17:14 and the Bears never trailed again.
- A layup from sophomore guard Mike Hancock (Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley) with two seconds left gave Potsdam a 39-33 lead at the half.
- Senior guard Jaylen Singh (Murfreesboro, Tenn./Rockvale) had 16 points in the first 20 minutes, including three 3-pointers.
- The Bears increased their lead over the first nine minutes of the second half. A free throw from freshman forward Joseph Decker (Fair Haven, N.Y./Red Creek) gave Potsdam a lead of 60-45 with 10:39 to play.
- The Bengals whittled the deficit down to nine, 68-59, with 5:10 left but couldn't get any closer.
- Two free throws from Singh at 3:32 extended the Bears lead to 77-61.
- A pair of free throws from Timothy Hardy (Portsmouth, Va./Ocean Lakes) at the 1:39 mark, gave Potsdam its biggest lead of the contest at 82-65 and sealed the win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Bears buried the Bengals with a scorching 56.9-percent shooting pace from the floor. Buffalo State shot 41.7-percent.
- The Bengals edged Potsdam on the glass, 30-29.
- Singh finished with a career-high 23 points to go with five rebounds and five assists for the Bears.
- Hancock also had a personal best with 17 points and eight boards. Hardy matched career-high with 13 points.
- Junior captain Ethan Baksh (Queens, N.Y./Richmond Hill) and sophomore guard Bryson Brown (New York, N.Y./Mercersburg Academy) also reached double digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
- Freshman guard Hali Shabazz (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) led Buffalo State with 14 points and senior guard Wilmer Beard (New York, N.Y./Urban Assembly for Media Studies) added 13.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bears host Fredonia tomorrow at 4 p.m.
