CLINTON, N.Y. – SUNY Polytechnic Institute's Oumaru Hydara put the Wildcats in the lead for good on a three-pointer with 28.9 seconds left, and they went on to a 78-72 non-conference victory against the Hamilton College Continentals on Hamilton's Coach Tom Murphy Court inside Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Thursday night, Dec. 4.
Season Update
- The Continentals (2-5 overall) dropped their fourth game in a row.
- SUNY Poly (5-2) won for the second time in three days as the Wildcats also defeated St. Lawrence University 64-51 on Dec. 2.
How It Happened
- Hydara swished the go-ahead basket from the right corner and made it 74-72 with one second left on the shot clock. After a missed right-handed layup by Hamilton, Kamryn Comstock made two free throws with 16.4 seconds remaining. The Continentals missed a three-point shot on their next possession and Hydara clinched it for the Wildcats on two more made free throws with five seconds to go.
- There were six ties in the first half. Hamilton jumped out to six-point leads at 13-7 and 16-10 early in the half before SUNY Poly came roaring back. The Wildcats eventually built a nine-point advantage at 33-24 after a William Scanlon three-pointer with 7:06 left.
- The Continentals responded with a 13-4 run and tied the score at 37-37 on a jumper by Matthew Rideout '27 with 2:05 remaining. SUNY Poly ended the half with three-pointers by Steven Dowdall and Anthony Rose on back-to-back possessions and took a 43-37 advantage into the locker room.
- The Wildcats came out hot at the start of the second half and went up by 11 on four occasions in the first five-plus minutes, including 56-45 with 14:55 left.
- Hamilton clawed its way back into the lead at 65-64 after a basket in the paint by Jalen Reese '27 with 6:52 remaining. It was the Continentals' first lead since it was 19-17 with 12:26 to go in the first half.
- Neither team led by more than three points over the final eight minutes until SUNY Poly's free throws in the closing seconds.
- David Melson '29 scored Hamilton's last three points and gave the Continentals a 72-71 edge on a deep shot from the left corner with 59 seconds left.
Notes
- Rideout poured in a career-high 26 points. It was his first 20-point game at Hamilton and he's 12th in the NESCAC in scoring at 14.7 per game.
- Reese chipped in 12 points, six offensive rebounds and two blocked shots. He's tied for second in the conference with 25 offensive boards.
- Sharif Nelson '26 handed out a game-high four assists for the Continentals.
- Hamilton made 10 steals and committed only 11 turnovers.
- The Continentals shot 42.2 percent (27-64) from the floor including 8-of-20 from beyond the arc.
- Hamilton enjoyed a 16-0 advantage in second-chance points.
- Rose was 5-of-5 from three-point range and finished with 27 points. Comstock posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
- The Wildcats shot 61.9 percent (26-42) from the field and an incredible 11-of-13 from three-point range. They were also 13-for-16 at the free-throw line in the second half.
Next Game
The Continentals play another non-conference contest at Marymount University (1-7) in Arlington, Va., on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.