Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – It wasn't an easy win, and at times it certainly wasn't pretty, but the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team found a way to emerge victorious yet again. 

The starting five was responsible for all but 13 points as the Cardinals (11-3, 5-2 SUNYAC) were able to put some distance between them and a scrappy SUNY Potsdam (2-12, 0-7 SUNYAC) squad in the final 20 minutes for a 73-58 triumph in Memorial Hall on Tuesday night.

Even though the home squad certainly didn't enjoy its finest hour from the field (23-of-61, 37.7 percent), a 47-38 edge in the rebounding department and a 22-of-33 mark from the free throw line helped push the Cardinals to their seventh victory in eight games.

Bounding out onto the Cardinals' home floor with an intensity that belied their paltry 2-11 record, the Bears held the lead for the first 4:28 thanks to a pair of close-range makes by Brandon Williams and Colin Peterson.

It took that long before sophomore Edward Correa gave the Cardinals their first lead of the North Country tussle as the Bronx, N.Y., product rose up and nailed a deep triple as part of a 9-2 surge by the home team.

Senior Chris Manning capped off the run by the home squad by firing a pair of pinpoint passes to fellow final-year men Shavar Fields and John Perez who easily sank their fast break layup attempts to make matters 13-6 Cardinals with 13:51 to go in the opening half.

The Cardinals were able to maintain a lead of 16-11 after Ezra Hodgson split his pair of free throw attempts 8:30 into the opening stanza, but Potsdam's Tom Graf would lead his squad on a 7-2 spurt over the next 5:42.

Graf fired in a long ball which knotted things at 16 before his layup put the Bears on top once again. Oe Estramonte and former Peru High School superstar Rob Duquette put the finishing touches on the visitors' surge with a long-range hit and a layup respectively before the Cardinals snapped out of their funk.

Manning canned a mid-range jump shot which kick-started a 10-3 run by the home team over the next 3:40. Fields put in a pair of free throws before his layup put the Cardinals up 28-26 with 2:31 to go in the half.

Trading baskets – as well as leads – the teams went shot for shot with one another before a 5-0 spurt in the final minute of the frame put the Cardinals ahead for the remainder of the game. Fields connected on another layup and Manning found Xavier Thomas who sunk a layup of his own before stepping to the free throw stripe to complete his three-point play with 30 seconds showing on the clock.

The Cardinals aimed to put the Bears away for good in the early stages of the second half, as Correa opened the scoring in the final period with yet another long-range hit that started a 9-2 surge by the home squad. Shamoy McIntosh put in the last four markers of the miniature run, putting the Cardinals on top 45-37 with a little less than three minutes of the deciding half in the books.

Zac Adams drove down the lane completely unopposed and threw down a powerful one-handed flush to trim the Cardinals' edge to 47-43, but the home squad pushed their lead to double-digits for the first time after Perez made good on a three-point play and Manning pulled up an drained a rare triple of his own.

Up by a 55-45 tally, Plattsburgh State never let its edge slip below seven points for the final 11:29, and scored 12 of their final 17 points from the free throw line to stave off the Bears.

Balance was the word of the night for the Cardinals, as Correa, McIntosh and Fields each put in game-highs of 15 points. Perez went on to finish with 10 and ran down a game-high nine rebounds as well.

Manning passed out a game-high eight assists and came up with five steals in the victory.

Adams (12) and Graf (11) led the way for the Bears.

Like the pioneers of yore, the Cardinals will head west this weekend, taking part in their longest SUNYAC road swing of the season. The third-place Cardinals will butt heads with Buffalo State (7-7, 3-4 SUNYAC) at 8 p.m. on Friday night before tangling with Fredonia State (3-11, 0-7 SUNYAC) the following afternoon.