Boxscore & Play by Play

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. — With 43 seconds left in the first half, Plattsburgh State guard Carl Munnerlyn drained his third three pointer of the night to break a 24-24 tie, and the Cardinals never looked back on their way to a 76-62 victory over the New Paltz Hawks.

The junior from Brooklyn finished the night with 18 points as the Cardinals never relinquished the lead for the remainder of the game.  Plattsburgh State, 12-5 overall and 8-2 in the SUNYAC, remained close on the heels of current SUNYAC conference leader Oswego State (9-1 SUNYAC).

The second-place Cardinals gave New Paltz (10-7, 6-5 SUNYAC) all they could handle, forcing the Hawks into 19 turnovers and 29 personal fouls.

The Cardinals kept up the balanced attack they’ve shown all season. Junior guard Chris Ruiz (Washington Heights) led all scorers with 19 points. Former Northern Adirondack High School and Clinton Community College star Steve Thomas hit 11 of 14 free throws and added 15 points on the night. Junior forward Errol Daniyan (Coram) pulled down 12 boards and added 9 points. Sophomore Ketema Brooks (Mt. Vernon) scored eight points from his point guard spot.

Matt Devine led the Hawks with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Shareef Taylor added 14 points for New Paltz.

The Cardinals return to action at home on Tuesday, Feb. 1 against Potsdam at Memorial Hall at 8 p.m.