Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – With its two top scorers from a season ago drydocked on the pine for the 2012-13 season opener, the Plattsburgh State men’s basketball team was forced to look elsewhere for a figure to lead them on the offensive end of the floor on Friday (Nov. 16).  

That’s where Ezra Hodgson came in.

The 6-5 sophomore scored the first six points of the game for the Cardinals and eventually wound up with a team and career-high 20 points, helping the Cardinals manhandle Sage 80-62 in the second semifinal game of the Cardinal Classic. Hodgson was one of four Cardinals who reached or surpassed the 10-point plateau in the non-conference conflict.

“We knew Ezra can shoot, and he’s a great shooter,” said 10^th-year Plattsburgh State head coach Tom Curle. “He had some great catches inside and finished with great moves. He played with a lot of composure tonight.”

After Hodgson broke the seal on the scoreboard, Sage’s Mason Horne drove the length of the floor and made good on a three-point play, giving the Gators their only lead of the game before Hodgson continued his torrid ways from the floor.

Armed with a 6-4 advantage, the Cardinals went on a 10-3 run that culminated with a layup from Alan Siergiej. The sophomore was the recipient of arguably the prettiest dish of the game off the mitts of sophomore Mike Mitchell who racked up five assists in the one-sided affair.

Having little trouble running through the lackluster Gators defense, the Cardinals saw their lead bulge to as many as 16 points when Shamoy McIntosh made things 38-22 with a layup with just 3:13 remaining in the opening 20-minute frame. From there, the Gators used a 5-0 run to move to within 11 as the halftime horn blared.

One area where the Cardinals had some difficulty was in the defensive post game. Formidable Sage five-man Ryan Sager made use of vast arsenal of post moves and drew more fouls than any other single player in the tilt. To stem the inside tide, the Cardinals employed a three-headed post defense with Hodgson, Siergiej and junior Reggie Williams to try and slow down Sager.

Seeing their lead dwindle down to just nine points, Mitchell rose up and buried his only three-point basket of the game at the 18:30 mark of the deciding frame to kick-start a 10-3 Plattsburgh State run that put them back in the driver’s seat of the game.

The Gators tried valiantly to get back into the game, relying on their sole weapon in Sager – who recorded a game-high 25 points – but it just wasn’t enough against a Plattsburgh State team who sent in wave after wave of fresh players who were only too happy to torch the dogged Gators’ defense time and time again.

A trio of free throw makes by Kalik Parker followed by another pair by Siergiej gave the Cardinals a 58-37 lead in the second half, allowing them to cruise to victory. Late in the game, McIntosh took off on a fast break before rising up and throwing down a spectacular one-handed rim-rocker to ignite the Plattsburgh State congregation.

Plattsburgh State limited the Gators to a 20-of-51 (39.2 percent) effort from the field while the Cardinals made good on 29 of their 69 field goal attempts in the game (42 percent). Sage held a slim 41-40 rebounding edge over the Cardinals.
The Cardinals recorded seven blocks throughout the course of the game, including a game-high three by Siergiej who finished with a career-high 10 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds for the Cardinals.

McIntosh was 6-of-15 from the field, and finished with 15 points while Jordan Moody chipped in 12 for the Cardinals.
After Sager, the Gators relied on Matt Farbotko. The former North Country star finished with 14 points and six rebounds in his collegiate debut. Mason Horne chipped in 10 points  for the Gators to round out their trio of scoring leaders.

Plattsburgh State moved the ball extremely well, dishing out 16 assists to just three by the Gators.

The Cardinals will vie for the title of Cardinal Classic champion when they face off against York on Saturday (Nov. 17) at 4 p.m. in Memorial Hall. Norwich will cross paths with Sage in the consolation game which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.