Box Score FREDONIA, N.Y. – In order to come away with a 3-0 week, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team had to enter Steele Hall and contend with a Fredonia State squad which had just picked up their first SUNYAC win of the season on Friday night. 

A balanced attack by the visitors brought the Blue Devils back down to earth, and also allowed the Cardinals to come away with their third victory of the week.

Junior Alan Siergiej led all scorers with a career-high 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting as the Cardinals (13-3, 7-2 SUNYAC) limited Fredonia State (4-12, 1-8 SUNYAC) to a 23.2 percent (13-of-56) field goal showing en route to a 77-42 triumph at Steele Hall on Saturday afternoon.

The Blue Devils' shooting percentage during the 40-minute tilt was the lowest among Plattsburgh State's 16 opponents so far this season, and it marks the second time this season that the Cardinals were able to hold one of their foils to fewer than 50 points.

Of paramount concern for the Cardinals was to try and impede the high-scoring progress of Fredonia's Tyrone Clark, who torched SUNY Potsdam for a Fredonia State single-game record 45 points on 16-of-24 shooting in an 87-61 triumph the previous evening.

Clark maintained his offensive mindset in the opening minutes of the game, netting seven points to help his squad take a 15-11 lead over the Cardinals with 5:11 gone, but Plattsburgh State held the Blue Devils' star in check for the remainder of the battle.

Through the course of the ensuing 8:40, a collection of Cardinals mercilessly shelled the Blue Devils with a barrage of three-point field goals. Senior John Perez started up the 21-1 surge with a layup before Ezra Hodgson, Perez and Mike Mitchell rose up and sunk consecutive long balls.

Xavier Thomas kept the run going for the visitors with a steal and a breakaway slam dunk before sophomore shooting specialist Edward Correa joined the three-party with a downtown hit of his own. Siergiej picked up his first pair of points before Shamoy McIntosh finished the strong surge with a trifecta of his own.

Up 32-16 with 6:09 to go in the half, the Cardinals were able to ease into the locker room with a comfortable 38-23 lead.
Perez and fellow senior Shavar Fields stormed through the lane early and often at the onset of the deciding frame as the pair combined to score the first eight Plattsburgh State markers and push their lead to 46-26 with 16:01 to play.

Showing no leniency for the Blue Devils, who mustered just 19 points in the final 20 minutes on 5-of-31 (16.1 percent) shooting, the Cardinals continued to up their lead. The majority of Siergiej's damage was wrought in the final nine minutes of the increasingly lopsided contest, as the junior put in 12 of the final 19 Plattsburgh State points.

Freshman Vaughn Dweck fired and hit his first three-point basket as a collegian during the final 20-minute period.

Outside of the first five minutes, the Cardinals largely shut down Clark, who finished with 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting.

Perez added 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Cardinals, who went 28-of-59 (47.5 percent) from the field which included a 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) clip from beyond the arc. There was just one errant free throw attempt for the Cardinals (11-of-12, 91.7 percent) who possessed a 41-36 rebounding advantage over the Blue Devils by the time the conference clash was in the books.

After a lengthy trip back to the North Country, the Cardinals will remain in Plattsburgh for their next pair of league tilts. On Friday night, Oneonta State comes calling with intentions to avenge an 84-73 defeat at the hands of the Cardinals back on Jan. 18. The second meeting between the two teams this season is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.