UTICA, N.Y. -  The SUNY Poly men's basketball team lost to Russell Sage on Saturday afternoon 85-76 in a non-conference matchup. The Wildcats were led by Cheickne Toure and Anthony Rose, who both finished with 20 points. With the loss, the Wildcats move to 2-2 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED: The Wildcats would get off to a solid start on Saturday afternoon, highlighted by early points from Cheickne Toure, Josh Ernst, and Anthony Rose. After an early Wildcat lead, Noah Girard would drain a jump shot for the Gators to tie the game at 14-14. Girard would be a constant factor for the Gators and finish with a team-high 31 points. Shorty after, the Wildcats would go on a run to retake the lead, and would enter halftime with a 47-39 lead.  

It would be a game of two different halves, however, as the Wildcats struggled to score in bunches in the second half. Girard would stay hot in the second half and cut the Wildcats lead down to 53-49 after a three-pointer to make it a two-possession game. The first time the Gators would even the score would be at 9:27 left to play after a steal from Marcus Gentile who would make a layup on the other end to even the score at 60-60. The Gators would begin to pull away around the 4-minute mark when a Todd Williamson free throw made it a 76-65 lead. The Wildcats would make a late push to come back after switching to full-court pressure, but it wouldn't be enough as the Gators held on for the 85-76 victory.

For the Wildcats, Rose and Toure would both finish with 20 points, and LJ Randle would finish in double-figures with 12 points. For the Gators, Girard would finish with 31 points, and Todd Williamson and Deavion Springsteen would both finish with 15 points.

UP NEXT: The Wildcats will be back in action on Monday when they head across town to face off against Utica University. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM.