Box Score GALLOWAY, N.J. – A number of crucial plays by the Ospreys in the closing minutes of the game made all the difference as the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season in a 78-74 setback to Richard Stockton in the final game of the Stockton Tip-Off Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Sports Center.

Trailing by just one point on two occasions in the final 4:05 of the tilt, the Cardinals (1-1) saw the host institution increase its lead with contested running jump shots in the painted area each time.

The Cardinals' loss came despite a game-high 24 points from junior Shamoy McIntosh, who tied his career-high by displaying an accurate shooting touch right from the opening tip. Plattsburgh State opened up its largest lead of the contest when triples by junior Ezra Hodgson and McIntosh coupled with a free throw make by John Perez gave the visitors a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the non-conference battle.

From there, the Ospreys (2-0) made it a point to give their home fans something to cheer about as they reeled off the next eight points which was highlighted by a fast break jam by Nnamdi Usuwa with 15:32 remaining in the opening stanza.

All the hallmarks of an evenly-matched contest were there from the get-go, as the evenly-matched squads battled through each and every possession. Plattsburgh State regained the advantage for the final time in the first half when McIntosh put the finishing touches on a three-point play with a make from the charity stripe with 12:47 to go in the half.

Continuing to pound the ball in the painted area, Richard Stockton netted its next eight markers from in close. Still, the Cardinals kept it extremely close thanks to a tip-in by sophomore Xavier Thomas and a free throw make from the Brooklyn, N.Y., product that made it a 22-21 ball game with 10:30 remaining in the initial stanza.

Richard Stockton grabbed its largest lead of the tilt when a 12-4 scoring run culminated with a three-point play by Jesse Hunt to make matters 34-25 with a little over five minutes to go in the opening period.

Plattsburgh State responded with a run of its own as Shavar Fields and Perez joined forces to pour in 10 of the next 12 points for the Cardinals. Fields split a pair of free throw attempts with 2:01 to go in the frame which sent the two squads to the halftime strategy session with the Ospreys on top 39-37.

Once again, the Cardinals caught their avian foes off-guard to begin the deciding half. Jordan Moody pumped in seven of the nine Plattsburgh State points during a 9-0 surge over the course of 2:12 before Richard Stockton used a 7-0 spurt to deadlock matters at 56 all.

The squads would go on to exchange leads, and another layup by Perez gave the visiting club their final lead of the game, 63-62, with 5:55 remaining. On the very next possession by the Ospreys though, Kevin Johnson gave his team the lead for good by sinking a pair of free throws after a foul by senior Chris Manning.

Even though the Cardinals kept it close with a spirited effort at the free throw line, the visitors went 1-for-6 from the field and committed a turnover during a five-minute stretch late in the game.

Fields enjoyed another strong outing for the Cardinals, netting 18 points while Perez added his second double-double of the season consisting of 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Plattsburgh State was 19-of-24 (79.2 percent) from the free throw line and 24-of-58 (41.4 percent) from the field, but committed 19 turnovers.

Kevin Johnson put in 16 markers to lead a balanced attack for the Ospreys who had a quartet of players finish with at least 11 points. Richard Stockton was 27-of-62 (43.5 percent) from the field, 20-of-28 (71.4 percent) from the free throw line and held a 39-35 rebounding advantage over the Cardinals.  

Now the owners of a .500 record in the infancy of the 2013-14 campaign, the Cardinals head back to Memorial Hall to participate in their home opener on Tuesday night. Plattsburgh State opponent will be a familiar one, as St. Lawrence will take the floor to oppose the home squad when the game tips off at 8 p.m.