NEW PALTZ, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team trailed 38-45 at the half against host New Paltz, but staged a comeback in the second and flew past the Hawks to win their State University of New York Athletic Conference, 92-77.

The Cardinals now hold a 5-1 season, 1-0 in the SUNYAC, while New Paltz drops to 4-3 on the year, 0-1 in conference play.

After the Hawks led the majority of the first half and into the second, Plattsburgh finally took hold of the lead with 16 minutes left in regulation. The Cardinals pushed their advantage to 22 points at the 2:35 mark, following seven straight points by Chris Ruiz and a layup by Carl Munnerlyn. New Paltz cut that down to 15 by the end of the game, thanks to a layup by Nick Taldi with 27 seconds to go.

Ruiz recorded a season-high mark of 34 points, made two blocks and tied Errol Daniyan and Danny Tangney for a team-high five rebounds. Steve Thomas was second in scoring for Plattsburgh with 15 points, followed by Daniyan with 11 and Munnerlyn with 10. Ketema Brooks dished out seven assisted and nabbed three steals for the Cardinals.

For the Hawks, Shereef Taylor sank 22 points and Harris Wichard and Jayquan Anderson matched with 14 apiece. Wichard also recorded a team-high six boards. Oppong Agyemang made eight assists.

Plattsburgh concludes its weekend roadtrip tomorrow, December 5, at Oneonta. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.