UTICA, N.Y. - The SUNY Geneseo men's basketball team took on SUNY Poly in its first Empire 8 contest on Tuesday afternoon and couldn't pull out the win, falling 85-75. The defeat moves the Knights record to 3-7 on the season while the Wildcats improve to 6-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Sebastian Pacheco scored four of the first five points for the Knights, but Geneseo found themselves in an early 10-5 hole. Geneseo quickly found some momentum, and back-to-back baskets from Trevor Hofer gave them their first lead of the game at 20-18 with nine minutes to go in the half.
- Both teams traded the lead in the closing minutes of the first half, but a 10-4 run from SUNY Poly helped them earn a 40-35 advantage going to halftime.
- Geneseo quickly worked the deficit back down to one, with a four-point play from Hofer highlighting their run to open the half. However, SUNY Poly had the answer and took advantage of the game jumping ahead of by 11 points near the 10 minute mark.
- Once again, the Knights battled back and a jump shot from Pacheco cut the lead back down to two points with eight minutes left to play. Unfortunately, the Wildcats never let the Knights regain the lead and pulled away down the stretch for the 85-75 win.
QUICK FACTS:
- Pacheco led the team in scoring with 18 points on 9-12 shooting from the field. Hofer posted a career-high 15 points while Robert Pericolosi joined them in double digits with 12.
- Pericolosi recorded a team-high six rebounds, while Josh Garelle led the way in assists with six.
- The Knights shot 55.6 percent from the field in the game, including 41.7 percent from behind the arc.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Knights will continue Empire 8 play this weekend as they travel to Sage on Friday, Jan. 10 and Hartwick on Saturday, Jan. 11.
