KEENE, N.H. – On a night where scores of humans around the world vow to make some life changes for the upcoming calendar year, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team may want to make a resolution to buckle down a little bit more on the defensive end in 2015.

For the moment, though, the Cardinals were able to rely on their sizzling offense to yet another triumph.

Spurred by career nights from seniors Mike Mitchell and Reggie Williams who each poured in 22 points, the Cardinals (6-2) knocked Keene State (8-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten NCAA Division III college basketball squads by outscoring the Owls 99-94 at Spaulding Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

Williams hauled down 10 rebounds to complete his double-double, but he and Mitchell were hardly the only exceptional performers for the Cardinals on the final day of 2014. Final-year man Ezra Hodgson chipped in a double-double of his own, netting 10 points and snaring 10 boards while junior sharpshooter Edward Correa amassed 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting which included a 5-of-7 figure from long range.

A shooting percentage of 47.8-percent (32-of-67) from the visitors helped offset a 61-point second half by the Owls who banged 50-percent (20-of-40) of their field goals in that span.

It paid off for the Cardinals to be aggressive, too, as they took 41 free throws in the important non-conference victory. Mitchell ventured to the charity stripe 16 times by himself and connected on 13 of his attempts.

As a matter of fact, the foul line yielded the first points of the tilt for either team when the Owls' Matt Ozzella split a pair of attempts 1:34 into things. From there, Keene State distributed the ball inside where towering 7-foot center Nate Howard lurked. A layup from the sophomore gave the home team its largest – and only – lead at 3-0.

Mitchell handed out the first of his eight assists when he found third-year man Xavier Thomas headed to the tin. With the rock in his possession, Thomas hit a layup before Correa embarked on a personal 5-0 scoring spree with a long ball and an additional layup to give the Cardinals the lead for good with 16:34 remaining in the first half.

While there wasn't an abundance of defense to speak of, the Cardinals produced enough of it to see their lead grow to double digits before the first half was a matter of record. Howard kept challenging the Plattsburgh State interior stoppers, cutting the Cardinals' edge to 12-10 with a swish at the foul line but the Cardinals responded with a 12-2 run over a span of 2:23 to push the lead to 24-10 with 11:58 remaining in the first frame.

Of the 12 points the Cardinals pumped in, Mitchell was responsible for all but three of them in one way or another. He netted seven on his own and an assist to Williams produced another layup.

Employing a 6-0 run with layups comprising all of the ingredients, the Owls managed to pull within three, 26-23, with 8:38 remaining but the Cardinals quickly stopped the bleeding with the help of senior Jordan Moody. A pair of makes at the foul line as well as a layup from the Yorktown, N.Y., product were four of the next five Cardinal points.

Williams banked home a layup and Moody hit a mid-range jumper in the closing seconds to give the Cardinals a 45-33 lead before they headed to the locker room at the conclusion of the initial stanza.

Working the inside-outside game, the Cardinals discovered a substantial amount of success early in the final frame. Of the first 25 points scored by the visiting team, all but seven of them were netted by players not named Williams or Correa. Each of them took a turn piloting the Cardinals' offense.

Correa took his turn first, netting eight straight points with a pair of three-point splashdowns and a mid-range job before four straight Cardinal layups came off the hand of Williams to push the lead to 70-57 with 8:49 to go.

The Owls' offense grew hotter and hotter as the final frame progressed. In the final 20 minutes, Keene State recorded an eye-popping 61 points and cut the Cardinals' lead to three points on two occasions in the final minute.

Fortunately, the Cardinals hit 10 of their final 14 attempts at the free throw line to walk away with the win. Moody finished with 12 points and was the fifth Plattsburgh State player to score 10 or more in the bout.

Jeff Lunn led six Keene State players who finished with at least 10 points. He poured in 16 points and closed in on 12 rebounds while his teammate Jaquel Edwards scored 12 and yanked down a game-best 13 boards.

After ringing in 2015, the Cardinals will gear up for another non-conference bout with an undefeated squad. This game, however, will occur in the friendly confines of Memorial Hall. Plattsburgh State will cross paths with Middlebury at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.