GENESEO, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo senior forward James McKenna scored a career-high 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds to lead the Knights past visiting New Paltz, 76-65, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) men's basketball action, Friday.

Senior guard Andy Drescher added 20 points, including six three-pointers for Geneseo (13-8, 9-5 SUNYAC).

In the first half, senior forward Gordon Lyons was limited to under seven minutes of playing time after heading to the bench with his second foul at 13:29, but 10 points from McKenna and nine by Drescher kept the Hawks at bay.

"While Gordon spent a lot of time on the bench in the first half, it was during that time that we actually increased our lead significantly," said head coach Steve Minton. "James and Andy really stepped up and had outstanding games. James was a beast on the boards while Andy shot extremely well from the outside. 

Tied, 12-12, at 12:26 of the first half, New Paltz (10-12, 8-7 SUNYAC) scored six-unanswered points to lead, 18-12, at 8:39. However, a Drescher three-pointer capped a 13-3 Knights run that made it a 25-21 edge with 4:30 on the clock that turned into a 37-32 lead at halftime.

Drescher opened the second half with a three-pointer to put the home team up, 40-32, at 18:42 before the Knights pulled away over the next 10 minutes with a 17-8 run to lead, 57-44, at 8:16. 

The Geneseo grew to as many as 14 down the stretch as McKenna logged 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while Drescher added 11 points including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Lyons added 11 points to move into third place on Geneseo's career scoring list, surpassing Scott Morton '09 with 1,517 to date, but was held for only the second time this season without a double-double. His only other game without reaching double-digits in points and rebounds was the Knights' 75-62 setback at New Paltz (Jan. 10) when he was credited with 14 points and nine rebounds. 

Geneseo will look to pick up its fourth win in as many outings hosting Oneonta on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off.