Box Score MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – There is something about the promise of a showdown with a NESCAC opponent that brings out the best in Plattsburgh State men's basketball player Edward Correa.

The sophomore out of the Bronx, N.Y., reset his career high by amassing a game-high 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting, helping the Cardinals close out their 2013-14 regular season non-conference schedule with a 63-47 victory over Middlebury at Pepin Gym on Tuesday night.

Correa's previous career-high came in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament when the then-freshman put in 13 points at eventual national champion Amherst.

Thanks to Correa's hot hand, the Cardinals improve their record to 7-2 while dropping the Panthers to 6-4. Since Tom Curle took over as the head coach for Plattsburgh State, only three other Cardinal teams have started the season 7-2 and each of those went on to win at least 20 games and make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

An exceptionally strong defensive effort by Plattsburgh State limited Middlebury to a 28.3 percent (17-of-60) field goal performance and the 47 points scored by the home squad proved to be its fewest since netting 43 in a 56-43 setback against Rochester in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament back on March 7, 2008.

Even though Correa recorded the bulk of the Cardinals' points, senior Shavar Fields put the visitors on the board first, banking in a layup after winning a one-on-one battle with Middlebury's Jack Roberts just 16 seconds into the non-league tussle.

Consecutive close-range bank shots by James Jensen gave Middlebury its only advantage of the night at 4-2 before Correa began his long-range assault.

Senior John Perez began an 11-2 Plattsburgh State surge by rattling home a layup, and Correa took over from there. Connecting on a trio of long range splashdowns over a 3:22 span, he gave the Cardinals a 13-6 lead.

Correa's fourth downtown make of the night upped the Cardinals' edge to 20-12 with 9:13 to go in the opening stanza, but an 8-0 Middlebury surge captained by four points from senior Joey Kizel brought matters to a 20-all deadlock.

Summoned from the bench, sophomore Xavier Thomas gave the Cardinals the offensive spark they required, connecting on a pair of layups over a 57-second span to commence a 7-0 scoring surge by the visitors. Correa drew the curtain on that particular run by rising up and hitting a fifth three-point field goal.

Although the Cardinals were held scoreless for the final 4:56 of the first half, their defense limited the Panthers to just two points on a pair of made free throws by Kizel as Plattsburgh State waltzed to their locker room sporting a 29-23 lead at the break.

With all eyes on Correa from the Panthers' defensive standpoint, that opened things up for reigning SUNYAC Player of the Week Shamoy McIntosh who contributed five of the first eight Plattsburgh State markers of the final 20-minute frame.

Fields handed the Cardinals their first double-digit advantage of the night after his jumper with 14:18 showing on the clock made matters 39-29.

Middlebury finally began to string together some offense, utilizing an 8-0 surge to cut the Plattsburgh State lead to 41-39 with 9:56 left in the game. Ezra Hodgson finally put an end to the Cardinals' scoring drought by hitting his second long ball of the night with 9:04 to go.

The Panthers would go on to hit just one more field goal over the next 6:16, and the Cardinals took full advantage of the offensive woes by the home team by embarking on a game-clinching 14-2 run during that time period.

Some stingy defense limited the Panthers to a 1-of-12 performance from the field during that stretch, while the visitors cashed in on five points via the free throw stripe during the surge.

McIntosh chipped in 11 for the Cardinals while Perez yanked down a game-high 11 rebounds which helped Plattsburgh win the battle of the boards, 46-39. As a team, the Cardinals were 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from long range while limiting the Panthers to a 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) showing from that distance.

Kizel paced Middlebury with a team-high 13 points.

After over one month, the Cardinals will finally return to Memorial Hall to begin their 2014 SUNYAC schedule. Friday night will mark the starting point of 16 consecutive league games when SUNY Geneseo brings a 6-1 record to Plattsburgh State's home floor. The league game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.