Men’s Basketball: Balance (5 in Double Figures) Powers Warriors to Opening Win

11/8/2025 7:32:00 PM | By: Alyssa French-Graham

In first meeting in 11 years

Box Score
NEW PALTZ, NY -- Junior forward Julian Sanchez (Willimantic) scored 19 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds to lead Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball to a 92-79 season-opening non-conference road victory over SUNY New Paltz Saturday night at the Hawk Center.

Game Information:

Score: Eastern Connecticut State University 92, SUNY New Paltz 79
Records: Eastern (1-0), SUNY New Paltz (0-1)
Location: New Paltz, New York (Hawk Center)

Key Moments:

First Half

Saturday's game held competition as Eastern and SUNY New Paltz traded buckets through the opening minutes. In his debut, senior transfer Ray Carter (Springfield, MA) drilled an opening three-pointer at 19:15 while senior Dominick Dao (Terryville) quickly followed with back-to-back finishes to get the Warriors in the game.
Eastern then paced exceptionally through the middle of the period, riding a 9-0 momentum sparked by another finish by Sanchez and senior guard Javontae Jones (Lumberton, NJ) flex play to open a 21-14 edge. The Warriors capped the lead at 29-20 with a three-pointer from junior guard Pedro Perry (New London), shutting the Hawks out.
Though New Paltz found momentum late in the first half, the Hawks' Isaiah Rivera gained trips to the free-throw line while Trevor Amalfitano heated up with a key look and three-pointer around the seven-minute mark to trim the deficit as the Warriors' nine-point lead was reduced to just one going into the half, 45-44.

Second Half

The Warriors entered the second half with intensity. Senior forward Jalen Hamblin (West Hartford) opened scoring for the Warriors with a layup at 19:36, followed by a jumper at 19:15 to extend Eastern's lead while SUNY New Paltz's Trevor Amalfitano and Isaiah Rivera tried to respond with quick baskets of their own.
Junior forward Drew Soltis (Bridgeport) and senior guard Michael Carothers (Queens, NY) anchored the Warriors' offense, pushing the lead into double digits by the 14-minute mark.
Dao helped push the offensive campaign, with Soltis finishing a critical layup to extend the lead while snagging offensive rebounds to keep the ball in the Warriors' possession, and Dao added a jumper and a three-pointer to further stretch the lead, and the Warriors eventually cashed out for a 92-79 road victory over the Hawks.

Stats:

Eastern Conn. State: 35-73 FG (47.9%), 9-22 3PT (40.9%), 13-20 FT (65.0%)
SUNY New Paltz: 29-74 FG (39.2%), 5-23 3PT (21.7%), 16-25 FT (64.0%)
Rebounds: Eastern 52, SUNY New Paltz 29
Assists: Eastern 19, SUNY New Paltz 7
Turnovers: Eastern 19, SUNY New Paltz 13
Points in the paint: Eastern 52, SUNY New Paltz 46
Fast break points: Eastern 14, SUNY New Paltz 10
Second-chance points: Eastern 17, SUNY New Paltz 6

Game Notes:

Eastern Connecticut State opened its 2025-2026 season with a 92-79 road win at SUNY New Paltz.
Eastern's point total is its highest in an opening game since beating MCLA 114-92 in 2003-04.
Eastern outrebounded SUNY 52-29.
Julian Sanchez had a double-double in the opening game with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
The Warriors shot 47.9% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range.
Eastern's bench contributed 28 points, while SUNY's bench added seven.
The Warriors outscored SUNY 52-46 in the paint.
Sanchez led the team in points, followed by Jalen Hamblin with 17 and Dominick Dao with 16.
Eastern is 7-3 all-time against the Hawks, and a winner of four straight in the series. The teams were meeting for only the second time since 1997-98.
New Paltz was coming off a 19-8 season (14-4 SUNYAC) which ended in a 61-52 loss to SUNY Cortland in the conference tournament

Up Next:
Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball hosts Johnson and Wales University Wednesday at 7 p.m. in its home-opener at Geissler Gymnasium.

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In first meeting in 11 years

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