GENESEO, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo junior forward Nicole Kaczmarczyk scored a career-high 10 points, including eight in the fourth quarter to help the Knights pick up a 61-53 victory over State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) rival New Paltz, Friday at Schrader Gymnasium.

With the win, Geneseo (20-2, 15-0 SUNYAC) clinched the top seed for the SUNYAC Tournament and will host the semifinals and championship game (Feb. 23-24). 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Hawks pulled out to a 13-6 lead with 3:49 left in the first quarter and held a 19-14 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
• Back-to-back three pointers from sophomore guards Sara Ciotti and Natalie DiSalvo to start the second quarter gave the Knights their first lead of the game with 9:04 on the clock. 
• New Paltz re-took a 26-24 lead at 5:51 and used a 5-2 run to build a 31-26 lead with 1:37 remaining. However, the Knights scored the final four points of the quarter to pull within one, 31-30, at halftime.
• Trailing, 34-30, three minutes into the third quarter, the Knights put together an 8-0 run, including a go-ahead three-pointer by junior guard Kelsey Poplawski at 6:20, to take a 38-34 lead at 4:36. 
• The Hawks used an 11-3 spurt to forge a 45-41 edge with 44 second remaining in the quarter, but junior forward Alyssa Lesakowski banked in a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining to make it a one-point game, 45-44, at the end of the third.
• A New Paltz three-pointer gave the visitors a 47-44 lead with 9:35 remaining in regulation, but Geneseo cobbled together a 14-2 run over the next six minutes to take a 58-49 lead that proved to be the difference. Kaczmarczyk broke a 47-47 tie with six-unanswered points, including a three-point play and a three-pointer from the top of the key that put the Knights ahead for good.

QUICK FACTS

• The Knights tallied 37 bench points while New Paltz earned only two points off the bench.  
• Geneseo earned its 37th-consecutive regular season conference win, the fourth-longest active streak in Division III. 
• The Knights reached the 20-win plateau for the sixth-consecutive season and seventh time in the last eight years. 

WHAT'S NEXT

The Knights return to action on Saturday (Feb. 10) when they host SUNYAC opponent Oneonta at 1 p.m.