BUFFALO, N.Y.

The Hawks outscored the Bengals, 35-19, in the second half of Saturday’s win. This is the fourth time in five games that the Hawks trailed at the break and outscored their opponent in the second stanza. Improved three-point shooting contributed to the comeback, as the Hawks shot 62.5 percent (5-for-8) from the distance in the second half.

Senior guard Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) bounced back after a one-point performance on Friday to pick up her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Kahsyrah Bryant (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) kept her momentum from last night going by scoring 16 points on Saturday. Freshman guard Shannan Walker (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) also added 16 points and dished out a team-high three assists.

New Paltz fell behind early in the contest, trailing 21-14 midway through the first half. The lead increased to 31-19 on Kala Crawford’s jumper at the 3:23 mark before Fisher sunk a pair of free throws and followed with a layup to bring the Hawks within eight going into the locker room.

After Buffalo State’s Bianca Smiley nailed a jumper to open the second half, the Hawks took off flying, stringing together an 11-0 run, capped off by Walker’s three-pointer, to take a 34-33 lead. New Paltz put together another long rally starting at the 7:24 mark with a three from Bryant. Her basket from long range started a 9-0 run that gave the Hawks a 10-point lead with just over five minutes remaining.

Buffalo State was able to cut into New Paltz’s lead and got within six points with less than two minutes to go, but a free throw by Walker and another by junior forward Jeanette Scott (West Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) put the icing on the cake.

Freshman forward Michelle Valle (New York, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science/Mathematics) had a big day on the boards, pulling down 12 rebounds in the win. Buffalo State’s Smiley led all scorers with 17 points and added seven boards before fouling out of the contest.

The Hawks shot 31.7 percent from the field, including 40.6 percent in the second half. Buffalo State was a bit more successful, making 33.9 percent of their field goals. The Hawks shot just 50 percent from the charity stripe, while the Bengals succeeded on 66.7 percent.

New Paltz has a quick turnaround, playing its home opener on Tuesday night at the Hawk Center. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. between the Hawks and Stevens Institute of Technology.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Senior Daniel Young (149 pounds) and junior Paul Hancock (165) authored identical 3-1 marks and remain in contention in the consolation draw of their respective weight classes following the first day of competition at the 31st annual Cliff Keen Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday.

The performances of Young and Hancock sparked the Black Knights, who are tied for 25th place out of 32 schools at the prestigious two-day event. Both wrestlers will continue to navigate the consolation bracket when action resumes on Saturday morning.

Young, who was seeded 10th in the 149-pound bracket, began the tournament with a convincing 5-0 victory against Cornell’s Christopher Villalonga. Young then dropped a hard-fought 4-3 decision to seventh-seeded Drake Houdashelt of Missouri to fall into the consolation draw. There, Young slipped past Wisconsin’s Coulthurst Schmitt, 5-4, and defeated American’s Kevin Tao (5-3). He will begin Saturday’s action with a match versus Virginia’s fifth-seeded Derek Valenti.

Hancock, unseeded at 165 pounds, posted a 12-2 major decision opposite Cal Poly’s Connor King in his opening-round bout. Hancock then dropped a 15-6 major decision against third-seeded Nicholas Sulzer of Virginia, before bouncing back with a 6-0 blanking of Ohio State’s Mark Martin in the consolation draw. Hancock then beat Nebraska’s Austin Wilson, 5-3, and will face Boise State’s eighth-seeded Holden Packard in his first bout on Saturday.

Freshman Bryce Barnes was the only other Army wrestlers to win multiple bouts. He finished the day with a 2-2 mark and just missed out on reaching Saturday’s competition. Barnes began his tournament run with a 2-1 edging of Utah Valley’s David Prieto. The first-year wrestler was then defeated by top-seeded Dusting Kilgore of Kent State, but rebounded to knock off Northern Iowa’s AJ McBroom (8-2) in the consolation bracket. Barnes then suffered an 8-3 setback to eighth-seeded Jackson Heim of Wisconsin and bowed out of the tournament.

Sophomore Hunter Wood (125 pounds), freshman Brian Harvey (157) and senior Collin Wittmeyer (184) each collected single victories for the Black Knights, but failed to advance to Saturday’s action. All three wrestlers finished with identical 1-2 marks.

Young and Hancock will wrap up competition at the Cliff Keen Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 1, beginning at 9 a.m. PST.

Mucciarone tied the Army record in the finals of the 50-yard freestyle to help the Black Knight women into fifth place following the opening day of the three-day meet. The talented plebe then swam on Army’s 400-yard medley relay team that obliterated the Academy record by nearly four seconds.

The Black Knights accumulated 136 points to reside near the middle of the eight-team field. Princeton leads the women’s draw with 343 points. Yale (249 points) is running a distant second, followed by Dartmouth (197), Brown (149) and Army. New Hampshire (60), Rider (42) and Columbia (27) round out the field.

Freshman freestyler Chris Szekely led the way for Army on the men’s side, posting a pair of top-eight finishes individually and swimming the anchor leg on Army’s record-breaking 400-yard medley relay team to help lead the Black Knight men into third place after Day One.

Army racked up 245 points to maintain a spot in the upper half of the six-team field. Princeton leads the men’s competition with 300 points, followed by Dartmouth (258) and Army. Columbia (151), Brown (138) and Rider (76) occupy the bottom half of the field following today’s action.

Mucciarone began her memorable evening by placing fourth in the 50 free, touching the wall in an Academy-record time of 23.36 seconds. The first-year performer then teamed with fellow freshman Nat Beale, junior Grace Hamilton and sophomore Kristen Barta to finish fourth in the 400-yard medley relay with a school-record clocking of 3:47.60.

Hamilton finished just behind Mucciarone in the 50 free, placing fifth overall with a personal-best time of 23.48. The clocking ranks as the third-best time in Academy history. Barta also excelled individually, finishing 14th in the 500-yard freestyle with the fourth-best clocking in Army history (4:59.91).

Beale placed 10th in the 200-yard individual medley with the second-fastest time in Army history (2:05.31). Junior Lara Stouffer also stood out in the 200 IM, finishing 17th overall with the fifth-best time in Academy annals (2:06.00).

Sophomore Maggie Churchill led the Army women off the boards, placing sixth off the three-meter board with a score of 223.70 points.

Szekely, who is in the midst of an outstanding plebe campaign, sparked Army in the pool. Individually, the freshman took fourth in the 500-yard freestyle (4:30.98) and placed eighth in the 50 free (21.43). He capped his productive night by joining with senior Ayman Andrews, junior Kenny Yacynych and sophomore Joon Chung to finish third in the 400-yard medley relay with an Academy-record time of 3:18.67. The clocking shattered the previous school mark, which had been on the books since 2007, by nearly a full second.

Senior Chris Nguyen led a 1-2 Army finish off the one-meter board to pace the Black Knight men in the diving events. Nguyen cruised to victory off the short board, piling up 335.65 points and winning by more than 20 markers. Army sophomore Zachary Woods placed runner-up (314.15), while sophomore Josh Urnezis took eighth (265.45).

Freshman Sam Mo turned in a sixth-place showing in the 200-yard individual medley, touching the wall in a personal-best time of 1:52.00. The clocking ranks as the fourth-fastest time in Army history. Andrews finished right behind Mo in that event, placing seventh overall with a time of 1:53.13. Sophomore Will Viana chipped in a 16th-place finish in the 200 IM (1:54.65).

Three Army swimmers joined Szekely in the finals of the 500 free with junior Daniel Ruckman finishing fifth (4:32.34) and sophomores Casey Woudenberg (4:34.03) and Matt Kane (4:40.02) placing 11th and 14th, respectively.

Sophomore Michael Dustin swam to a 13th-place finish in the 50 free (21.22), while senior Dan Foky placed 14th in the same event (21.26).

Army continues competition at the Brown Big Bear Open on Saturday, Dec. 1. The first events are slated to get under way at 11 a.m.

The Hawks’ 200 medley relay quartet of senior Bryan Farm (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South), sophomore Marton Keri (Budapest, Hungary/Moricz Zsigmond Gimnazium), freshman Ethan Cooke (Middletown, Conn./Middletown) and freshman Brandon Finn (Tomkins Cove, N.Y./North Rockland) led off the meet with a 1:39.27 performance, which gave them a tie for fourth place with SUNY Oneonta.

Sophomore Jack Spader (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck) improved upon his lifetime best in the 1,650 freestyle, covering the 66-lap event in a fifth-place time of 16:54.65. Senior Nick Dubois (Henrietta, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta) finished 12th overall with an 18:18.55 standard.

New Paltz continues action at the ECAC Winter Championships tomorrow, competing in a 10 a.m. morning session before taking on a 6 p.m. evening session. All races at the ECAC Winter Championships are timed-final events.

The 200 medley relay team of senior Yuka Suzuka (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown), senior Carly Marshall (Cornwall, N.Y./Cornwall Central), freshman Ella Graffin (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) and senior Katina Lown (Bohemia, N.Y./Connetquot) kicked off the meet with a swift third-place time of 1:50.23, with Suzuka leading off the relay with a 26.74 backstroke leg.

Junior Chelsea Allocco (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) placed fifth in the 1,650 freestyle, charting a 17:38.48, while freshman Cassidy Griger (Cooperstown, N.Y./Cooperstown Central) posted an 18th-place standard of 18:15.39.

New Paltz continues action at the ECAC Winter Championships tomorrow, competing in a 10 a.m. morning session before taking on a 6 p.m. evening session. All races at the ECAC Winter Championships are timed-final events.

Dublin-native Hyland (27-0, 12 KOs) plans to continue making Irish boxing history on December 8, when he fights fellow undefeated challenger Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna for the interim World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title, fighting on the HBO Pay-Per-View event headlined by Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marguez 4, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The 29-year-old Hyland, who is promoted by Final Round Promotions and Team Snooki Boxing, made a major commitment to boxing a year ago, moving from Ireland to Marlboro, New York in order to be trained by two-time two-division world champion Tracy Harris Patterson. Rated No. 6 by the WBA, Hyland already holds the Republic of Ireland boxing record for most consecutive wins to start a professional career (27), and he’ll become the first Ireland-born world featherweight champion with a win Dec. 8.

Hyland would become the first Irishman to capture a world title since Bernard Dunne (WBA super bantamweight) in 2009, also joining Dunne and Stevie Collins as the only Dubliners as world champions. In fact, Hyland would be only the seventh Irishman (Ireland national born), dating back to the late 1800′s, in an exclusive group that also includes George Gardner,Mike McTigue and Hall of Famers Barry McGuigan and Jack McAuliffe.

“I’ve had tunnel vision for this fight and didn’t know I could become the first world featherweight champion born in Ireland,” Hyland said. “It feels great to hear that as well as have a chance to be mentioned in the same class with those other Irish world boxing champions.”

WBA No. 2-rated Fortuna (20-0, 15 KOs), fighting out of the Dominican Republic, is a 23-year-old southpaw. “Fortuna is an explosive fighter and it’s a pleasure to share the ring with him,” always the gentleman Hyland noted. “He’s a lefty, which is a problem for most right-handed fighters, but we’ve trained hard to move to the left. I have to stay sharp and focused, especially the first few rounds, so he doesn’t catch me. Our plan is to take him into deep water and see what he has left.”

Hyland will be fighting in Las Vegas for the first time. He doesn’t plan on hitting the strip, at least not on this particular trip, and everything there has been all business for the personable boxer with a thick brogue.

“It’s hard to describe,” Hyland spoke about fighting on the HBO PPV in Las Vegas. “Manny Pacquaio is the best known boxer in the world and fighting on his undercard hasn’t really sunk in, yet, and it probably won’t until after the fight It has gone through my mind but it’s all been positive We have two unbeaten fighters who both want to win and get that belt. We’ll put on a show, fighting on the biggest stage (HBO PPV in Las Vegas), and we could steal the show.”

One of Hyland’s promoters, Mike Pascale (Final Round Promotions), believes that it’s Hyland’s time to shine. “This fight is the culmination of Patrick’s training as a boxer since the age of seven. As always, he has trained hard and will lay it all on the line on December 8th. The Hyland-Fortuna fight will be a real barnburner. Patrick will shock many when his arm is raised as the winner. This is Patrick Hyland’s time and he will not be denied.”

Army did not trail in the second half, but after the Terriers trimmed a nine-point Black Knights lead to just one at 45-44, sophomore guard Maxwell Lenox scored a driving layup against two defenders to spark a 12-2 run that put Army in control. Lenox scored all of his season-high eight points in the second half.

Senior forward Ella Ellis led the Black Knights with 15 points, while freshman Kyle Wilson added 13, his third double-digit outing in his first four collegiate games. Senior Jordan Springer and plebe Larry Toomey led a balanced rebounding effort with five boards each. Rookie Dylan Cox dished out a season-best six assists without committing a turnover in 23 minutes of work. Eleven of the 13 Army players that saw action scored against the Terriers.

The Terriers’ Jalen Cannon led all players with 23 points and completed the double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds. Kevin Douglas finished second on the SFC scoring list with 15 points.

Army outrebounded St. Francis, 39-38, and limited the Terriers to just 33.9 percent shooting for the game. The Black Knights shot 42.9 percent despite a seven-plus minute stretch in the second half without a field goal.

The Terriers scored first, but a three-pointer by junior Josh Herbeck gave Army their first lead of the game. The Black Knights led 5-4, but St. Francis scored the next seven points, capped by a three-point play by Cannon take an 11-5 lead with 17:48 to go in the first half. The Terriers scored on their first five possessions of the game.

A three-pointer by Wilson stopped the run and Army tied the game at 13-13 on an Ellis three-pointer. The Terriers were able to push their lead back to six points at 21-15 with 10:49 on the clock, but a basket by freshman Tanner Plomb started an 11-0 Army rally. Freshman Kyle Toth’s first career three-pointer put an exclamation mark on the run and gave Army a 26-21 advantage with 5:58 left.

The Terriers scored the next five points to tie the game, and neither team held more than a two-point advantage for the rest of the half. Wilson’s runner with just three seconds left sent the Black Knights into the locker room with a 31-30 advantage.

Wilson led the Black Knights with nine points in the first 20 minutes. Cannon and Douglas had 11 and 10 for the Terriers, respectively.

Army scored the first eight points of the second half to take a 39-30 lead and led 41-32 before St. Francis began to whittle away at the Black Knights’ lead. The Terriers scored 12 of the next 16 points to get within one point before Lenox’s layup started Army’s decisive run. Freshman center Kyle Ferguson highlighted the spurt with a blocked shot on the defensive end followed by an emphatic slam on the ensuing fast break that put Army up 54-44. An Ellis three-pointer gave the Black Knights its 12-point cushion that would remain at least six for the rest of the contest.

Army has now won two in a row against the Terriers, and owns a 7-2 mark in its last nine non-conference games.

The Black Knights continue their three-game road stretch on Saturday, Nov. 24 at Yale. Tip-off in New Haven, Conn., in set for 2 p.m.

Game Notes: Army has led at halftime in all four of its games this season … Army is now 45-23 since the start of 2007-08 when leading at intermission … the Black Knights forced two five-second calls in the first half … Zach Spiker won his 40th game at West Point … Army is now 25-9 since the start of 2008-09 when holding their opponents to 61 points or less … Ella Ellis moved into a tie for seventh place on Army’s career three-point list (Jamie Uptgraft, 130).

Devils newcomer Raman Hrabarenka and returnee Alexander Urbom assisted on Albany’s goal. Urbom found Hrabarenka, who carried the puck into the offensive end near the right half wall. His shot deflected off Manchester netminder Martin Jones’ pads and found Wiseman’s stick at 8:18.

The Monarchs responded 29 seconds later when David Kolomatis scored his first of two power-play goals. The first tally came at 8:47 and the second followed at 14:10.

Second-year pro Keith Kinkaid made 25 saves on 27 shots, while Jones earned the victory with 22 saves on 23 tries.

Next up, the Devils welcome the Syracuse Crunch to Times Union Center on Friday for a 7:00 p.m. bout. The first 500 fans to arrive will receive a free Albany Devils t-shirt, courtesy of the Times Union. Additionally, it is SEFCU College Night with $10 tickets to all college students. Happy Hour with $2 domestic drafts will be between 6-7 pm.

Manchester Monarchs 2 at Albany Devils 1 – Status: Final Saturday, October 13, 2012 – Times Union Center

Manchester 2 0 0 – 2 Albany 1 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Albany, Wiseman 1 (Hrabarenka, Urbom), 8:18. 2, Manchester, Kolomatis 1 (Toffoli, Muzzin), 8:47 (PP). 3, Manchester, Kolomatis 2 (Kozun, Prokhorkin), 14:10 (PP). Penalties-Pesonen Alb (hooking), 8:32; Wiseman Alb (bench minor – too many men), 12:51; Cliche Mch (boarding), 16:33; Hrabarenka Alb (closing hand on puck), 19:01.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Clune Mch (diving), 11:27; Leach Alb (tripping), 11:27; Clune Mch (fighting), 13:49; Kelly Alb (fighting), 13:49; Bodnarchuk Mch (hooking), 16:56.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Voynov Mch (high-sticking), 4:57; Voynov Mch (interference), 7:19.

Shots on Goal-Manchester 10-12-5-27. Albany 6-8-9-23. Power Play Opportunities-Manchester 2 / 3; Albany 0 / 4. Goalies-Manchester, Jones 2-0-0 (23 shots-22 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 0-1-0 (27 shots-25 saves). A-5,072 Referees-Terry Koharski (10). Linesmen-Frank Murphy (29), Jud Ritter (34).

Junior Rob Gorski (Warwick, N.Y./S.S. Seward) was the first Hawk harrier to cross, as he did so at 26:27 for 41st place in a 233-person field. Freshman Josh Greenberg (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) and junior Omar Griffin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Tech) finished nearly in sequence, as Greenberg clocked a 113th-place standard of 27:26, while Griffin posted a time of 27:28 for 116th. Sophomore Jeremy Mulvey (Staten Island, N.Y./Port Richmond) edged out his teammate—freshman Tyler Huebler (Staten Island, N.Y./Port Richmond)—with Mulvey taking 127th (27:48) and Huebler placing 128th (27:49). Junior Terence Corrigan (Northport, N.Y./Northport) charted a 135th-place 27:57, while junior Nick Paolozzi (LaGrangeville, N.Y./Arlington) recorded a 138th-place 28:02 to round out the Hawks’ top seven finishers.

Ryan McGuire from the University of Connecticut led the field with a 24:53, and UConn won the team competition as well.

New Paltz takes a weekend off from competition before competing at the 2012 SUNYAC Cross Country Championships, which occur on Saturday, Oct. 27. SUNY Fredonia will serve as host to this year’s conference meet.

Wischoff bettered her former program standard of 22:19.36, which she set at the 2011 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships. Notably, in a field that included runners from both SUNY Plattsburgh and SUNY Oneonta, Wischoff was the top State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) finisher.

Wischoff and junior Amanda Wolfer (Woodbury, N.Y./Syosset) were each named to the All-Invitational Team, which is accorded to the top 15 runners. Wolfer took 15th with a time of 22:35.

Sophomore Terisa Woych (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) placed 36th with a time of 23:10, while freshman Kelly Mahoney (Centerport, N.Y./Harborfields) and sophomore Bridgette Joskow (Mastic Beach, N.Y./William Floyd) took 67th (23:57) and 69th (23:59), respectively. Freshman Rachel Levy (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) crossed 91st (24:21) and junior Andrea Prusik (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott) came in 100th to round out the Hawks’ top seven runners.

Molly Ruillard of Bridgewater State University was the top individual finisher at 21:44, while Tufts University topped the team standings.

New Paltz takes a weekend off from competition before competing at the 2012 SUNYAC Cross Country Championships, which occur on Saturday, Oct. 27. SUNY Fredonia will serve as host to this year’s conference meet.