Box Score POTSDAM, N.Y. – For 20 minutes, the Plattsburgh State/SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball clash was everything it was purported to be: a hard-fought battle between two rivals looking to keep their respective winning streaks alive.

In the second half, however, it appeared that only one team showed up for the remainder of the game.

John Perez scored a team-high 16 points and the Cardinals outscored their league rivals 46-25 in the second half to earn an 85-63 triumph over the Bears at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

With their fourth consecutive win, the Cardinals improve to 11-5 and 7-2 in SUNYAC basketball warfare while the Bears fall to 7-9 and 3-6 in league play. SUNY Potsdam also saw their three-game win streak come to an end.

With North Country bragging rights at stake, the Bears came out firing from three-point land as Curtis Pierce and Mark Lake, Jr., each canned a triple in the first 2:01. The response for the Cardinals consisted of a heavy early dose of Jordan Moody who scored six of the first eight points for Plattsburgh State.

After John Perez knotted matters at 13 with a pair of makes at the free throw line, Potsdam embarked on an 8-2 run that culminated with two free throws off the hands of Pierce which gave the Bears a 21-15 lead with 10:42 to go in the first half.

Thanks in large part to Shavar Fields, the Cardinals were able to claw back into the thick of things. The junior stormed the painted area and recorded five of the next eight points for Plattsburgh State that made it a 25-23 game – still in favor of the Bears – with 8:10 showing on the first half clock.

Directly after Fields did some damage on the interior, the Cardinals took their offensive show downtown. Mike Mitchell and Kalik Parker each drilled a pair of long range baskets over the next 5:42 as part of a 12-9 surge by the Cardinals that allowed the visitors to take a 35-34 lead.

It was right back to the interior for the final 2:28 of the first stanza, as Reggie Williams ensured that the Cardinals would enter the locker room with a lead at halftime. The junior hit a pair of free throws before manufacturing an offensive rebound and a layup as the buzzer sounded to make it 39-38 Plattsburgh State at the half.

As close as the first half was, the Cardinals wouldn’t let the Bears keep up with them in the second stanza. Perez and Moody set the tone early, pounding the ball inside for easy layups, before Josh Lambert recorded one of his own that brought Potsdam to within two, 46-44, with 16:50 remaining in the frame.

On the next Plattsburgh State possession, Shamoy McIntosh drilled a downtown jumper which started a game-clinching 16-0 run by the Cardinals over the next 5:03. While the Cardinals were thriving from an offensive standpoint, the Bears blundered their way through the stretch, committing six turnovers and going 0-of-3 from the field.

With the game well in hand, Fields gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the night when he banked in a layup that made things 81-52 with 5:27 to go.

Excelling from all areas of the field, the Cardinals shot 32-of-68 (47.1 percent) overall and 10-of-24 (41.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Plattsburgh State also cashed in on 11 of their 13 attempts at the charity stripe.

In addition to winning the rebounding battle 43-36 with their SUNYAC rivals, the Cardinals limited SUNY Potsdam to 22-of-60 (36.7 percent) shooting which included a 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) mark from three-point range.

Moody chipped in 13 points while McIntosh added 11 for the Cardinals. Edward Correa enjoyed an 11-point performance to round out the main quartet of scorers. Williams grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and came up with three steals.

Lake, Jr., recorded a game-high 17 points for the Bears.

With the first half of SUNYAC play in the books, the Cardinals will begin the second go-round beginning this weekend. Plattsburgh State travels to Buffalo State eyeing a season sweep of the Bengals when the game between the two league foes tips off at 8 p.m. from the Sports Arena.