NEW PALTZ, N.Y. - A.J. Knight led five New Paltz double-figure scorers with 18 points as the Hawks held off visiting Cortland, 82-76, in SUNYAC men's basketball action.
 
New Paltz moved into first place in the league at 5-1 and is 9-4 overall. Cortland dropped to second place at 5-2 and is 6-8 overall. Cortland plays at Oneonta Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Joel Davis (Watertown) recorded his fifth double-double of the season for the Red Dragons with 25 points and 10 rebounds along with two blocks. He hit 10-of-16 shots overall and 3-of-4 from the arc. Kendall Arcuri (Staten Island/St. Joseph by-the-Sea) finished with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists, Aaron Coston (Kerhonkson/Rondout Valley) totaled 11 points and eight rebounds and Kendrick Wilson (Wheatley Heights/Moravian Prep (NC)) scored eight points.
 
In addition to Knight's 18 points, Dakoda Smith finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists and Sean St. Lucia registered 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals for New Paltz. Isaiah Rivera amassed 11 points, five rebounds and three assists and Ethan St. Lucia had 10 points and three steals.
 
Cortland shot 54 percent from the field overall, including 59 percent (13-of-22) in the second half. New Paltz also shot 59 percent (17-of-29) in the second half and ended at 47 percent overall. Cortland, however, committed 14 turnovers that led to 20 New Paltz points, while the Hawks turned the ball over only seven times.
 
Cortland led 19-10 about midway through the first half and 24-16 before the hosts went on a 10-0 run to take a 26-24 lead. The Red Dragons recovered and led 37-34 at halftime, and the game remained tight for the first 12 minutes of the second half.
 
New Paltz extended a 64-60 lead to 70-60 from the 8:42 to 7:29 mark. Cortland eventually got back to within 75-72 on two Coston free throws with 1:19 remaining. With less than a minute left and the shot clock winding down, Sean St. Lucia hit a 3-pointer to give the Hawks a 78-72 lead.
 
Cortland eventually closed to within 78-76 on a Davis trey with less than 15 seconds left. The Red Dragons fouled and Knight hit two free throws with about 10 seconds remaining to help seal the victory.