FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Ian Helps (Bronx, N.Y. / Greater New York Academy) recorded his third double-double of the season and passed the 1,000-point mark as the Fredonia men's basketball team defeated the visiting New Paltz Hawks, 82-68,  on Friday evening. Helps finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The Devils evened their SUNYAC mark at 5-5, and improved to 8-9 overall.

Tied 28-all with a minute-and-a-half left, Dante Williams (Buffalo, N.Y. / Hutch Tech) hit a pair of free throws, and Richard De La Cruz () blocked a shot and went coast-to-coast to close out the half  with a four-point lead.

With Fredonia up 11 points, 42-31, with 17:15 left to play, New Paltz went on a 15-3 run to take its only lead of the half, 46-45. 

Fredonia immediately responded with a 14-0 run to take back the lead for good, leading 59-45 with 6:23 to go. 

New Paltz went to the hack-a-Devil down the stretch to slow the game, but Fredonia converted 15 of 16 free throws to finish the game. Helps ended up 12 of 13 from the line, and Williams was nine of 11. The Devils shot 30 of 36 for the game.

New Paltz (0-9 / 1-14) was led by Dylan Balducci with 23 points Andrew Seniuk  with 15 points and seven boards.

For Fredonia, Williams finished with 13 points, De La Cruz had 11, and Justin Tapper (White Plains, N.Y. / White Plains) and Kareem Brown (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Brooklyn H.S. for Law & Tech) had 10 each. Nicc Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y. / St. Mary's of Lancaster) finished with nine points, four assists, and four steals. Helps had recorded only four points in the first half before going for 16 points in the second.

The Devils controlled the boards with a 45-30 advantage in rebounds. New Paltz stayed in the game, shooting 11 of 21 from three-point range. The Devils were five of 13.

The Devils play host to Oneonta at 2:00 on Saturday afternoon in a men's/women's doubleheader.