GENESEO, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo junior guard Justin Ringen totaled a game-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds while junior guard John Decker added 19 points to lead the Knights to a 85-77 victory over visiting Potsdam, Friday, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) men's basketball action.

Geneseo (17-7, 11-6 SUNYAC) led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but the Bears (1-23, 1-16 SUNYAC) clawed their way back to take a 73-70 lead with under five minutes remaining in regulation. However, it was the Knights finishing the game with a 15-4 spurt, including 9-of-10 free throws, to earn the crucial conference win. 

A three-point play by senior guard Connor Keenan put the Knights out to a 14-2 lead with 16:46 on the first-half clock. Potsdam would pull to within four, 18-14, at 11:57, but Geneseo responded with a 12-3 spurt that included a pair of Ringen three-pointers to re-take a 30-17 lead at 7:19. 

Potsdam closed to within two, 33-31, at 4:15 but the home team closed the half on a 10-5 run to carry a 43-36 lead into the halftime locker room.

In the second half, Genseo led by as many as six in the early going, but the Bears came back to tie the game, 62-62, with 10:04 left in regulation. Potsdam took a 73-70 on a three-pointer by first-year guard Nosa Onabor with 4:51 remaining, but a pair of free-throws and a tough lay-up by sophomore guard Kevin Crockett on back-to-back possessions started a 15-4 run at 3:58 that put the Knights back in front for good.

Geneseo closes the regular season on Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. visit from Plattsburgh, which has already clinched the top-seed for next week's SUNYAC Tournament. A Knights' victory would seal the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye to the semifinals, while a loss would drop the squad to either the fourth or fifth seed, depending upon the outcome of Saturday's other games.