Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After showing that it could be successful in an up-tempo contest less than 24 hours ago, the Plattsburgh State men’s basketball team displayed its ability to be equally skilled in a slower-paced game.
The Cardinals limited Oswego State to an 18-of-54 performance (33.3 percent) from the field and had four players score at least 10 points as they outpaced the Lakers 71-63 in Memorial Hall on Saturday night.
Plattsburgh State (18-7, 14-4 SUNYAC) already ensured itself the No. 2 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament, while the Lakers (18-7, 11-7 SUNYAC) were hoping to cement themselves as the No. 3 seed with a victory.
Struggling mightily to put points on the board in the opening stages of the regular season finale, the Lakers hit just two field goals in the first 12:36 of the game thanks to some lockdown defense provided by the Cardinals.
Reggie Williams wasted no time in locking himself in basketball combat with talented Oswego State post star Hayden Ward. Williams recorded the first six points of the game for the Cardinals as part of a 19-6 run to open the game by the home squad.
Although they couldn’t connect from the field, the Lakers were able to keep the game within reach thanks to maintaining an unrelenting assault on the block.
Their efforts were repeatedly rewarded with trips to the foul line where the visitors hit their first eight attempts to make things 19-13 Plattsburgh State with 8:28 to go in the first half.
Chris Gilkes, who poured in nine of his 16 points in the opening frame, made sure the Lakers were never out of it by employing a vast array of shots from down low and downtown.
With 1:36 to go in the half, Sean Michele drilled a long ball that brought the Lakers to within one, 27-26, but Chris Manning found Ezra Hodgson wide open beyond the arc where the sophomore made good on his long ball that began a 6-0 Plattsburgh State run to end the half.
Showing that his basketball skills weren’t just limited to the painted area, Ward ventured out beyond the arc and nailed a three-ball that pulled the visitors within three, 36-33, with 17:35 to go in the deciding frame.
Rhythm was hard to come by in the final 20-minute stanza as each squad saw the fouls pile up against them in the opening half of the second. Eleven citations were whistled in the first five minutes of the half alone, but the Cardinals didn’t let that slow them down.
After Ward’s long ball, the Cardinals embarked on a 10-0 surge beginning with a layup from Manning and culminating with an inside banker by Hodgson that put them up 46-33 with 12:49 to go in the tilt.
That lead held true until the late stages of the frame when Ward kicked off a 7-0 Oswego State run with another trey. Clinging to a 62-58 lead with 2:35 to go, Hodgson and Williams kept the Cardinals afloat with a layup each before Jordan Moody pushed the lead back to nine with a free throw with 46 ticks remaining.
Shamoy McIntosh put an exclamation point on the victory with a fast break slam dunk in the final 10 seconds to wrap things up for the Cardinals.
Moody McIntosh and Hodgson were tied for team-high honors as each one scored 12 points. Williams added 10 to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. Although the emerged victorious, the Cardinals struggled at the free throw stripe (14-of-25) and were out-rebounded 44-35.
Manning finished with nine points, five assists and four steals.
Ward netted a game-high 17 points and completed his bid for a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Plattsburgh State will enjoy a five-day basketball hiatus before embarking on their quest for a SUNYAC Tournament crown. On Thursday evening, the Cardinals will head to Cortland – the host institution for the SUNYAC Tournament – and will play their first game of the tourney on Friday.
Matchups and ticket information will be released on GoCardinalSports.com as soon as the information becomes available.
