SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Not even 72 hours removed from a difficult outing against Western Connecticut State in which he finished with just two points and three turnovers, Plattsburgh State men's basketball senior Reggie Williams was eager to redeem himself.

He definitely accomplished that personal mission on Monday night. 

A career-night for the Cardinals' (3-1) front court star helped the team erase a 13-point deficit and outpace the Thoroughbreds (2-2) in a 60-57 overtime triumph at Williamson Center on Monday night.

Williams, a 6-foot-6 forward out of Yonkers, N.Y., registered a team and career-best 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He added a game-high 12 rebounds to complete his double-double and completed his well-rounded outing with two blocked shots and a steal.

Neither team found a high degree of success on the offensive end of the floor, as the Cardinals hit 31.7-percent (19-of-60) of their shots and Skidmore fired at a 31-percent (18-of-58) clip.

One of the two slim advantages the Cardinals owned in the opening 20 minutes of action came courtesy of Williams who sunk a layup for the first points of the game.

Handing the Cardinals their only other edge of the first stanza was senior Ezra Hodgson who canned the first of just six Plattsburgh State long balls to make matters 5-4 just 3:03 into the tilt.

Playing the last of four consecutive home bouts to open their 2014-15 campaign, the Thoroughbreds relied heavily on Connor Merrill early on. Getting his points from all angles, Merrill accumulated seven of the first nine Skidmore markers on a mid-range hit, a triple and a tip-in.

A heavy dose of play down on the block allowed the Cardinals to stay within four points of their rivals from Saratoga Springs early on. Close-range shots from Jordan Moody and Alan Siergiej made the score 18-14 with 11:16 to go in the first, but the Cardinals' offense came to a screeching halt shortly thereafter.

For the next 4:28, Plattsburgh State couldn't score the basketball as they went 0-for-7 from the field while committing five turnovers. Merrill was still hot, adding four additional points on a 6-0 Skidmore surge which pushed the lead to double-digits (24-14).

One of the only two Plattsburgh State field goals in the final 6:50 of the half came by way of Edward Correa who corralled an offensive rebound and put home a layup to stop the Cardinals' scoring drought and cut the Skidmore edge to 24-16.

With all the attention focused on stopping Merrill by whatever means necessary, the Cardinals let Nanribet Yiljep heat up in the last stages of the half. He scored all eight of the Thoroughbreds points in the waning minutes of the first half and gave the home team their largest lead of the game with an old-fashioned three-point play with 2:04 to go (32-19).

The Cardinals' counterpunch came almost right from the get-go once the second half began. Shamoy McIntosh found Williams inside for an easy layup to kick things off before Mike Mitchell splashed back-to-back three-pointers to pull the Cardinals within five, 34-29, 1:43 into the second stanza.

Mitchell and Williams joined forces to pump in the first 12 Plattsburgh State points of the half, before McIntosh showed up to the proverbial party. On the wrong end of a 39-35 score with 6:37 remaining in regulation, the Cardinals saw McIntosh embark on a personal 8-0 run beginning with a hit at the charity stripe.

Still, the Cardinals trailed 44-43 with 4:19 to go in the second. A string of strong free throw shooting – as well as some timely field goals - helped the visitors claw all the way back and knot things up. In the final 1:46 of regulation, the ballgame was tied on three occasions, the last of which happened when Williams slipped by the Thoroughbreds for a layup with 33 ticks remaining.

After being held scoreless all game, Kyle Richardson took center stage for the Cardinals in the five-minute overtime session. Trailing by three, the Baldwin, N.Y., product sunk a pair of free throws before giving the Cardinals the lead for good when his cold-blooded triple splashed through the net with 1:46 remaining.

Plattsburgh State turned to its defense to close things out. The Thoroughbreds went 0-for-3 from the field in the final 1:46 and missed a pair of free throws to help the Cardinals escape with the win.

In addition to Williams, McIntosh (13) and Mitchell (10) each reached double-digits in the scoring column for the Cardinals. Merrill contributed a game-high 20 points to Skidmore's cause.

A little over one week will elapse before the Cardinals hit the court again. Plattsburgh State's first December action will pit the Cardinals against Liberty League and North Country foe St. Lawrence. Tip-off in Canton is slated for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2.