UTICA, NY-Buffalo State's (19-8) men's basketball team sprinted past eighth-seeded New Paltz (11-17) tonight, 73-40, at the Utica Memorial Auditorium to win its 17th SUNYAC Championship and first since 1997.

Buffalo State never trailed as it blazed to a 39-19 halftime lead, and never looked back. Josh Becker (Frontier) led the Bengals offense again with 18 points. Perry Davis (Seneca) scored 10 points and added 18 rebounds, giving him a tournament record 46 boards for the three-game tournament. Jeremy Konst (Williamsville East) added 11 points and five assists, and Anthony Piccolo (Depew) chipped in 10 points.

Becker was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and Perry Davis and Jeremy Konst were both selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Buffalo State earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs. Seedings will be announced tomorrow night at 9 p.m. live on www.ncaachampionships.com.



- BENGALS -