NEW PALTZ, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo senior forward Lea Sobieraski pulled in 12 rebounds and scored six points for the Knights but it was host New Paltz taking the 57-47 win in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action, Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore guard Kara Houppert had a team-high nine points and five rebounds while senior guard Biz Reinhardt added eight points and five rebounds in the setback.

"Some of our players have had to play heavy minutes due to injuries on the team and that caught up to us tonight," said head coach Scott Hemer. "We didn't shoot the ball well from outside and lost some of our mental touch but we managed to control the boards to keep us in the game."

Both teams struggled to get going offensively in the first half as the Hawks held a slim 11-7 lead after junior guard Dana Cohan hit a jumper at 8:35. Cohan finished the night with eight points.

With 3:40 remaining in the half, Sobieraski made two free-throws to cut Geneseo's deficit to five, 19-14.

New Paltz (6-5, 3-2 SUNYAC) scored on its next two possessions to extend its lead to nine, 24-15, with 2:55 on the clock as the Hawks entered halftime with a 29-21 advantage.

At 15:08 in the second half, the Knights fell behind by 13, 38-25, after a New Paltz lay-up. The deficit was cut to nine, 45-36, after a made jumper by Sobieraski with 7:43 on the clock.

With 2:48 remaining in the game, Houppert converted two free-throws to bring the team within six, 53-46, but that's as close as Geneseo would get as the Hawks handed the team its first conference loss of the season.

The Knights (6-4, 2-1 SUNYAC) return to action Tuesday, Jan. 13, against visiting Cortland. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.