Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Taking a break from the the snow and cold temperatures of New York, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team headed to Daytona Beach, Fla., to take part in the Land of Magic Classic tournament. Below is a recap of days three and four in the Sunshine State for the Cardinals, courtesy of juniors Ezra Hodgson and Mike Mitchell.

DAY THREE - Sunday, Dec. 29
Sunday was a busy day for our team. Most of us started off the day with breakfast, except for Owen, who got out of his bed and then immediately fell asleep at the desk in his room.  We made sure to get him some fruit though, so that he wouldn't be totally without sustenance.

We were able to have shoot-around in the middle of the day so that we were prepared for our first game in the tournament against Milliken, a team from Illinois. From watching them the night before, we knew that they were a very physical team and they also had very good scoring guards. The key to their offense was based around a ridiculous amount of ball screens. Our game plan was simple: guard the ball screens and rebound well. That would put us into a position to win the game.

That afternoon we had a little more down time to hang out with each other, and for some of us to see some of our families that had come down to Florida to vacation and see us play. Mike's parents had driven over from Auburn, Ala., to see us play, my grandparents drove over from their home in Sarasota, Fla., and Alan had family that was vacationing in Orlando that came to cheer us on. It always felt like we had a mini home crowed cheering us on and it was great.

We traveled to the gym at 4:15 so that we would have plenty of time to warm up, and because that was the only time that there was a shuttle available to take us to the gym. Chris Manning made sure we got a good warm up before the game started so that we would be ready to come out strong. We had prepared ourselves for a battle and we got what we expected. The score went back and forth the entire game, but by half time we were up by 10 points and were feeling good about the way we were playing.

The second half was a different story. We started off sloppy; we turned the ball over numerous times, and played very poor defense. Our lead dwindled to only three, and from there on we had to work our hardest for every rebound, possession, and point. In the end we prevailed. We won the game by three and started off the tournament the way that we wanted to.

DAY FOUR - Monday, Dec. 30
The final day in Daytona started like every other day. We ate breakfast in the hotel and then had some free time to hang out with family and teammates. We used the time to pack and say our goodbyes to family members. The only other event on our itinerary was our shoot around, which happened on the beach.

The rest of the day was scheduled out for the team. We would be eating our pregame meal while getting focused for an important game at four. After arriving at the gym, we relaxed for a few minutes before we got dressed. There was conversation about the "red jersey curse." We haven't won a game this year with our red jerseys on. We didn't want this curse to go on any longer. After watching a few minutes of another team's game, we started to stretch, warm up and get everyone as focused as possible.

The game was completely defense oriented. We were playing Wisconsin-Stout, and their strengths lay with their big men. Again it came down to our help defense and how we guarded their ball screens. After the first half, the game was still close, but the second half was a completely different story. We came out of the gates with great energy and it wasn't long before we blew the lead up to 20 points, but it never seemed like we were up by that much. They began to pressure us more and we answered with good decision making and good free throw shooting.

If coach had to pick a highlight it might be the tough plays by Owen Mitchell and Alan Siergiej. There is nothing coach likes more than tough hustle plays. Owen and Alan snatched down offensive rebound after offensive rebound. Alan was jumping on the floor for loose balls and his effort would end up giving us an extra possession. This game proved our toughness and both coaches were proud of us. That is why they showed us how proud they were with an amazing postgame meal.

When we first drove in to Orlando, Coach Curle said we needed to hustle to our rooms and get outside so that we could make our 8:10 reservation at the Copper Canyon Restaurant. Of course we took too long, so Coach Curle jogged to the restaurant to make sure we still had our reservations. It was by far the best meal that I have had as a college athlete. Everyone was more than satisfied by the food and the service. Not one complaint was heard, not even from Jack who it was easy to tell loved his food after he dove right in with his little hands.

It's great that even though this is a business trip for us, we all know how to have fun together. No matter the setting, we are always smiling, joking, and laughing. What made this business trip that much better, was we came away 2-0. And in the end coming away with those two wins was the highlight of this trip.