PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – One year ago, Plattsburgh State’s head men’s basketball coach Tom Curle probably found it odd to have so much time on his hands in the closing weeks of February.

Normally a fixture in the postseason picture, the Cardinals posted an 8-18 record last season and were promptly bounced out of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament by SUNY Cortland in the first round.

Fast-forward to the present day, and all is right in the world again. Plattsburgh State increased its win total by 10 as it owns an 18-7 overall record and received a first-round bye after capturing the second seed in the SUNYAC Tournament.

Friday night, the Cardinals (18-7) will begin their quest for its fifth SUNYAC Tournament crown in the past eight seasons as they face SUNY Geneseo (17-9) in the first tournament semifinal game at 6 p.m. in Corey Gymnasium in Cortland, N.Y.
The Cardinals and Knights split their season series with each team winning its respective home game. The last time these two squads crossed paths, it certainly wasn’t pretty for SUNY Geneseo.

Plattsburgh State used a 10-0 run late in the first period to take a 13-point lead into halftime, and finished off the Knights with a 19-0 surge in the deciding frame to earn a lopsided 84-62 victory on February 9.

The Cardinals were ruthless in their throttling of the Knights, unleashing a three-point barrage (10-of-27 for the game) and crushing SUNY Geneseo on the boards 43-26 to earn the victory.

That particular victory avenged a loss earlier in the season to the Knights, who took a 66-64 victory over Plattsburgh State at Carl Schrader Gymnasium on January 11. Geneseo blistered the nets on 57.4 percent shooting, but had to hold off a late Plattsburgh State charge to get the W.

Over their past 14 games, the Cardinals have lost just three of them by a combined nine points, and have relied on one of the most balanced lineups in the league. Aside from Fredonia State, Plattsburgh State is the only team in the SUNYAC that does not boast a player among the top 15 scorers in the conference.

Facilitating the well-balanced offense is quite possibly one of the best guards in all of Division III. Chris Manning has been a mainstay in the Plattsburgh State lineup in his first year with the program. The 6-0 junior leads the SUNYAC and is 13^th among NCAA Division III players in assists per game (5.8).

Aside from his great court vision, Manning is a speedster who can get to the rim at will, averaging 6.6 points per game. He has been equally deadly on the defensive end of the floor, as he leads all of Division III in steals per game (3.92).

From a scoring standpoint, Shamoy McIntosh leads the Cardinals. After not starting a single game during his inaugural collegiate season, the Floral Park, N.Y., product has heard his name called as a part of the starting five in 23 of the 25 2012-13 contests. Averaging 12.2 points per game, McIntosh is the best free throw shooter the Cardinals possess as well, as he has hit 76.3 percent of his attempts from the stripe.

After John Perez went down with a season-ending injury on February 12, Reggie Williams stepped in and has been playing some of the best basketball of his career. The junior has been a force at the defensive end of the floor, blocking 17 shots in his last six games.

Not solely a one-dimensional player, Williams has averaged 4.1 points and four rebounds per game this season as well.

Ezra Hodgson (8.6 points per game, 42.1 percent from three-point range) and Jordan Moody (9.5 points per game, 50.3 field goal percentage) round out the top players for the Cardinals.

Gordon Lyons leads a balanced attack for SUNY Geneseo, who destroyed New Paltz 98-80 in their first-round SUNYAC Tournament bout. The sophomore forward leads the team in scoring (13.9 points per game), rebounding (8.5 per game) and field goal percentage (61.7).

Tickets on each day of the SUNYAC Tournament are $6 for adults and $3 for children 6-12. All SUNY students, who are bearing a valid form of identification, will be admitted for free as will youngsters five and under.

The winner of the Plattsburgh State/Geneseo tilt will face off against the winner of the SUNY Cortland/Oswego State clash in the SUNYAC Tournament championship game at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Fans that are unable to make the trip to Cortland can follow the Cardinals via live statistical coverage provided by the SUNY Cortland sports information department and through a live internet radio stream. The links for each service are listed below.

Live Stats (semifinal game)
Live Stats (championship game)
Live Radio Feed (all games)