Boxscore & Play-by-Play
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Plattsburgh State saw a 12-point first-half lead shrink to two points, and then Cortland shot 78.3 percent in the second half to shock the Cardinals in a State University of New York Athletic Conference game at Memorial Hall Saturday, 83-69.
Cortland shooters shot a lights-out 18-for-23 in the second half, including 10-for-12 from three land to turn their halftime deficit into what became as much as a 23-point lead.
Up 30-28 after the first, the Cardinals surrendered the first basket of the second half as Cortland’s Kevin McMahon hit a jumper 11 seconds in. It was the beginning of what became a 12-0 Cortland run to start the half.
Jeremy Smith helped the Red Dragons in the second-half turnaround, going 6-for-7 from beyond the arc for all 18 of his second-half points. He led Cortland for the game with 24 points. Jesse Winter backed Smith up with 22 points of his own on 7-for 12 shooting. The Red Dragons shot 56 percent, 28-for-50, for the game.
Errol Daniyan notched a second-straight double-double for the Cardinals, dropping in 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting and pulling down a career-high 20 rebounds. Chris Ruiz was the Cardinals’ leading scorer with 20 points. Carl Munnerlyn (11) and Steve Thomas (10) also hit double digits in scoring.
On top of Cortland’s hot shooting in the second half, Plattsburgh didn’t help its own cause. The Cardinals shot just 37.8 percent for the game, going 28-for-74 from the field. The Cardinals won the rebound battle, 49-25, including 26 offensive boards.
Before the game, the Cardinals honored their nine seniors, including student-manager Chris Thompson. Last year, the senior class was part of the program’s sixth SUNYAC championship overall and fourth in the last five seasons. Five of those seniors — Ruiz, Daniyan, Tim Havens, Josh Bruno and RJ Ponesse — were part of the third of three-straight SUNYAC crowns in their freshman year of 2007-08.
The Cardinals will look to turn it around as they travel to face Potsdam Tuesday, Feb. 15, for a SUNYAC contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
