GENESEO, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo junior guard Andy Drescher came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points, while junior forward Gordon Lyons paired 17 rebounds with eight points to lead the Knights to a 79-68 victory over New Paltz in their regular-season finale, Saturday afternoon.

Senior forward Matt Curry added 13 points while senior guard Thomas Decker totaled 11 points and a career-high nine assists as the duo, along with senior guard Connor Fedge and senior forward Jordan Jones, were recognized in a Senior Day ceremony before the game.

The Knights (19-5, 13-4 SUNYAC) clinched the third seed for this coming week's SUNYAC Tournament, where they will host sixth-seeded Oneonta in a quarterfinal game on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. The winner will advance to play second-seeded Plattsburgh on Friday at 6:00 p.m. in the semifinals, hosted by top-seeded Brockport.

"I am very proud of our seniors for everything they have accomplished in their four years at Geneseo. Each of them has played a tremendous role in our success," said head coach Steve Minton. "We really shot the ball well in the second half, especially Curry and (James) McKenna, and at times it seemed like Gordon was getting every single rebound."

New Paltz opened a 12-3 lead with 16:10 on the clock, but a Curry three-pointer would finish a run that brought Geneseo back within a point, 14-13, at 12:39. Back-to-back three pointers by Zach Cone-Douglas put the visitors back up by seven, 20-13, at 10:50, but the Knights would again answer with a 13-2 run capped by two three-pointers apiece by Drescher and junior forward James McKenna to take a 26-22 lead at 4:47. Trailing, 29-24, New Paltz would finish the final 4:07 with an 8-1 burst to lead 30-32 at halftime. 

Cone-Douglas led all scorers at halftime with 12 points on four three-pointers as the two teams each hit six field goals from long range in the first 20 minutes.

The lead would change hands five times in the first five minutes of the second half. A McKenna strike from long range would put Geneseo up six, 45-39, at 14:02, but the Hawks would would bounce right back to take a 50-49 lead with 10:40 on the clock after a three-pointer from Kevin Roach.

Tied, 52-52, with 9:55 remaining, the Knights would put together an 8-0 spurt following five points from Decker and a three-pointer from Curry to lead, 60-52, at 7:51. The Hawks would quickly get back within three with five unanswered points, but Drescher and Curry hits from long-range started to slowly build some separation, 66-57, with 6:04 to go.

Leading, 66-63, with 4:12 left in regulation, Geneseo pieced together a 12-0 run to extend the lead to 13, with 1:53 on the clock, which put the game away.

Geneseo finished with a season-high 13 three-pointers, including four by McKenna, who finished with 16 points to go along with nine rebounds. 

The Knights swept the season series with Oneonta, picking up a 89-63 road win on Jan. 25, before handing the Red Dragons a 68-63 loss last night.