Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Balance was the word of the day for the Plattsburgh State men’s basketball team as the Cardinals saw four players reach double-figures in a 92-69 victory over North Country nemesis SUNY Potsdam on Tuesday night in Memorial Hall.

Plattsburgh State shot 51.5 percent (35-of-68) from the field while keeping the Bears limited to a 23-of-55 (41.8 percent) night. The up-and-down, chippy contest turned out to be a runaway victory for the Cardinals, but it wasn’t without some heated emotions as each club picked up a technical foul.

The only lead Potsdam obtained was in the early goings as Curtis Pierce swished a downtown basket 13 seconds into the game that gave the Bears a 3-0 advantage.

Chris Manning and John Perez quickly put Cardinals (16-7, 12-4 SUNYAC) on top for good over the next three minutes, though. Manning drove down the lane after Potsdam’s (9-14, 5-11 SUNYAC) defense left the area open, and hit a pair of free throws before coming up with a pair of steals and assisting on two fast-break layups by Perez.

After Manning nailed a rare triple, he found Perez for another two layups before Reggie Williams scored an inside basket thanks to an assist from Shamoy McIntosh that made things 15-9 Plattsburgh state with 15:37 to go in the opening stanza.

Although Plattsburgh State never relinquished the lead, the first half was marred by a number of rushed, contests shots taken by the Cardinals which allowed the Bears to keep things close.

Kalik Parker ran down an offensive rebound before twisting and turning inside the lane and getting a layup to fall to give the Cardinals a 28-20 lead with six minutes to go in the opening stanza before the Bears made one final push for the lead.

Mark Lake, Jr., hit a pair of free throws and banked home an acrobatic layup of his own as part of a 6-0 surge that seemed to suck the intensity out of the pro-Plattsburgh crowd.

Their lead having dwindled to just two, Plattsburgh State turned to Mike Mitchell who rose up and knocked down a three-pointer on the next possession before Jordan Moody single-handedly demoralized the Bears.

Employing a dandy baseline maneuver, the sophomore shook his would-be defender before taking to the sky to throw down an emphatic one-handed jam on an unlucky Potsdam player that put a sizable charge in the Plattsburgh congregation.

From there, Perez and Williams joined forces to score the final eight points of the half for the Cardinals, sending them to their locker room with a 41-28 lead at the half thanks to the 13-2 surge.

The Plattsburgh State advantage ballooned to 18 after McIntosh connected on his first triple of the night to make matters 48-30, but the Bears continued to try and make it a ball game once again. Josh Lambert hit a fast break layup that cut the Plattsburgh State lead to 13, 54-41, but a 9-0 Plattsburgh State run put things out of reach for good.

After Manning converted on an old-fashioned three-point play that made the score 63-41, the Cardinals never led their lead dip below 11 points and cruised to victory.

Perez and McIntosh wound up tied for game-high scoring honors as each one tallied 14 points. Moody added 13 of his own while Manning and Shavar Fields each chipped in 10.

Reggie Williams was one point away from a double-double, as the junior finished with a game-high 12 rebounds and nine points to go along with three blocked shots.

Once again, Manning did a great job filling up the stat sheet at the dynamic junior added three rebounds and game-highs in steals (seven) and assists (seven).

Lake Jr., led the way for Potsdam with 14 points while Pierce and Rob Duquette added 12 each.

Plattsburgh State out-rebounded the Bears 35-32 and dished out 20 assists while committing just 13 turnovers. The Bears saw those numbers drastically reversed, though, throwing the ball away 21 times while accumulating just 11 helpers.

With the win, the Cardinals have set themselves up for one of the biggest games of the year on Friday night. No. 23-ranked and SUNYAC-leading SUNY Cortland is scheduled to storm Memorial Hall. Plattsburgh State, the second-place team in the league, is scheduled to do battle with the Red Dragons at 8 p.m.