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SUNYAC Playoff Bracket
Fourth-seeded Buffalo State, coming off a 61-50 victory over No. 5 Oneonta in the SUNYAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday, is set to visit No. 1 New Paltz in the semifinals on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
SCOUTING BUFFALO STATE…The Bengals (16-10 / 11-7 SUNYAC), erased a seven-point halftime deficit by outscoring the visiting Red Dragons 37-19 in the second half to clinch their second appearance in the conference semifinals in three years.
Buffalo State enters as the second-best shooting team and third-best scoring team in the SUNYAC, led by senior
Liv LeBaron (Corning/Corning East) who ranks among the scoring leaders in the NCAA Division III and paces the conference, averaging 22.2 points and also leads in steals with 2.8 per game. Junior
Katie Villarini (Hamburg/Hamburg) is fourth in the SUNYAC in scoring, averaging 15.5 points and is sixth in the conference with 3.3 assists/game.
Tori Hackett (Canandaigua/Canandaigua) is third on the team in scoring, averaging 6.4 points and is eighth in the SUNYAC with 7.4 rebounds/game.
SCOUTING NEW PALTZ…The Hawks (22-3 / 17-1 SUNYAC) closed out the regular season by winning each of their last 11 games to clinch the top seed in the SUNYAC playoffs. New Paltz swept the season series against the Bengals, winning 66-60 at home before claiming a 79-57 win in the Sports Arena on Feb. 15.
New Paltz enters as the second-best scoring team in the conference, led by Marion Dietz who is seventh in the SUNYAC in scoring, averaging 13.9 points to go along with 3.5 rebounds/game. Maddie Van Peltz is 10
th in the conference in scoring, averaging 12.3 points and is second in the SUNYAC in steals with 2.1 per game. Philesha Teape leads the team with 7.2 rebounds/game.
THE POSTSEASON HISTORY…Friday's semifinals marks only the second time Buffalo State and New Paltz have met in the SUNYAC postseason since 2010. The Hawks used a late run to pull away in a 79-58 home win in the 2015 SUNYAC Quarterfinals.
WHAT'S NEXT…The winner will next compete in the SUNYAC Championship at New Paltz on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 4 p.m. against the winner of the No. 2 Cortland vs. No. 3 Geneseo contest.
TICKETS…Tickets for Friday's game will go on sale one hour prior to tip-off and are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Buffalo State and any SUNYAC school students are free with a valid ID.
