WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Add Elizabethtown to the burgeoning list of schools that have learned the hard way to fear the beard – and the offensive prowess – of Plattsburgh State forward Ezra Hodgson.

In the inaugural contest of his final year as a collegian, the Rindge, N.H., displayed the same lethal shooting touch that he has possessed since arriving at Plattsburgh State as he netted a game-best 21 points to lead the Cardinals to a 74-59 triumph over Elizabethtown in the second game of the Dutch Burch Tip-Off Tournament at Lycoming College on Saturday night.

Hodgson was almost unstoppable, hitting eight of his 10 field goal attempts which included a 4-of-5 mark from downtown. In addition to Hodgson, the Cardinals received a sizable spark off the bench from senior Jordan Moody who registered 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

As a team, Plattsburgh State left the nets smoking well after the conclusion of the contest by hitting on a sizzling 53.2 percent (25-of-47) of its field goal attempts. In addition to their hot shooting, the Cardinals hung their hat on an oppressively stifling defense, allowing the Blue Jays to go just 22-of-64 (34.4 percent) from the field.

There was a period – albeit it was a rather short one – where the Cardinals needed to shake off a little bit of rust. Elizabethtown netted six of the first 10 points ofthe non-conference skirmish and led 6-4 2:37 into things.

A dose of finesse and power inside from senior post specialist Reggie Williams took the wind out of the Blue Jays' sails, though. A fast-break layup from the Gorton, N.Y., product started a 6-0 run which gave the Cardinals the lead for good. Williams employed a powerful punctuation mark at the end of the miniature surge by slipping under Elizabethtown's post defense and hammering down a two-handed jam.

With its inside game rolling along nicely, Plattsburgh State stationed a battalion of its best long-range shooters at all corners of the three-point arc and began to make the Blue Jays pay from distance, too. Junior Edward Correa swished the first Cardinal triple of the night before venturing to the free throw line and rattling home a pair of attempts to keep the Plattsburgh State edge at five (15-10).

The Cardinals turned things over to Moody who went on a personal 5-0 run with an acrobatic driving layup and yet another long-range bomb which upped the lead to six (20-14) with 13:07 remaining in the first half.

Four straight Blue Jay points trimmed the Plattsburgh State advantage to 20-18, but high-flying Xavier Thomas bravely helmed the Cardinals' offensive ship for the next few trips down the floor. A jumper from the far wing followed by the Brooklyn, N.Y., product's first trifecta of the season made it a seven-point Cardinal lead (25-18) with 7:33 to go in the opening stanza.

Perhaps the most impressive display of athleticism on the evening came from junior transfer Kyle Richardson. After Moody misfired on an attempt from the charity stripe, Richardson was able to sky for the ball, get a mitt on it and tip it in over a trio of Elizabethtown defenders, making matters 30-21 with 6:24 to go. In the opening half.

From there, the Blue Jays wouldn't come any closer than eight points away from regaining the lead as Plattsburgh State ran out the clock on the frame with a 13-7 run to take a 43-28 lead into the halftime strategy session. Freshman point guard Zack Coleman struck for the final two points of the half with a pair of hits from the free throw line.

Coming out of the gates strong in the final 20-minute period, Plattsburgh State continued its merciless shelling of the Blue Jays, eventually opening up a 22-point lead (62-40) after a Moody midrange splashdown.

The only real danger that presented itself for the Cardinals came when the Blue Jays trimmed the margin to 13 points. Keeping the designated home team afloat with an array of soft-handed post moves that belied his size was Lee Eckert who finished with a team-best 20 points for Elizabethtown.

With the shot clock winding down, Hodgson set up shop for yet another three-point launch only to see the Blue Jays curiously leave him wide open. The senior obliged them by knocking down the shot, and after a three-point play from Williams Plattsburgh State saw its lead go back up to 19, 70-51, with 3:03 to go.

Williams was the only other Plattsburgh State player to reach double figures as he netted 10 to go along with a game-high two blocked shots. Senior Shamoy McIntosh chipped in another seven points as well as a game-high eight rebounds for the Cardinals. Facilitating the Cardinals' well-balanced offensive attack was Mike Mitchell who passed out a game-high seven assists to go along with four points.

At stake for the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon is the championship belt of the 2014 Dutch Burch Tip-Off Tournament. Standing between Plattsburgh State and the tournament title is Lycoming College who blasted Penn-State Schuylkill 91-57 in the first semifinal game. Tip-off between the Cardinals and Warriors is scheduled for 3 p.m.