Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After what was arguably their best defensive outing of the season on Friday night, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team almost made the mistake of letting their defense go by the wayside in their clash with New Paltz. 

What was at one point a comfortable 21-point Plattsburgh State lead shrank all the way down to a five-point edge thanks to an 18-2 second-half surge by New Paltz, but the Cardinals found ways to step up on both ends of the floor and outlast the upset-minded Hawks 90-78 in Memorial Hall on Saturday afternoon.

With their wire-to-wire triumph, the Cardinals up their 2013-14 mark to 15-3 and 9-2 in conference battles while the Hawks slip to 6-13 and 3-9 in league action.

Junior Shamoy McIntosh poured in team-high 23 points in the triumph while senior Shavar Fields added 19 and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Shamoy McIntosh kicked things off by splashing a long-range field goal attempt, staking the home squad to an early 3-0 lead. After McIntosh's long ball, senior Shavar Fields made it a point to shred the Hawks' defense time and time again.

The Albany, N.Y., product found his focus on the offensive end, netting the next seven Plattsburgh State markers – including a powerful one-handed fast break slam dunk – to up the Cardinals' edge to 10-4 just 2:51 into the tilt.

Three-point hits from Edward Correa and senior Chris Manning kept the Cardinals' lead on the rise until it reached 20-9 after Manning's trifecta with 13:44 remaining in the first half.

Plattsburgh State's edge ballooned to as many as 14 points in the opening stanza after Ezra Hodgson knocked down a wide-open triple and Alan Siergiej executed a heady pump fake before sinking a layup with 9:32 on the clock.

Little by little, the Hawks pecked away at the Cardinals' edge until Nick Taldi launched and connected on a three-pointer which made matters 41-36 with 1:10 remaining in the opening half.

Thanks to a timely triple by Mike Mitchell and another pair of free throw makes from Fields, the Cardinals were able to take a 46-38 lead into their locker room at the half. Nothing short of a dominant force, Fields wrapped up the first half with 16 points and nine of the Cardinals' 27 rebounds.

Plattsburgh State didn't squander a second when the second half began, using an 18-5 surge to open up a 64-43 lead over the Hawks with the first 5:37 of the deciding frame in the books. McIntosh contributed eight points – including a pair of long balls – to the Cardinals' opening salvo, before the Hawks answered back in a big way.

The Cardinals' post defense turned remarkably porous and the Hawks were able to take full advantage by powering inside time and time again. Taylor Sowah began the long climb back into the game with back-to-back layups before powerful post player Kevin Roach bullied his way through the lane for the next six New Paltz markers.

Zach Cone-Douglas connected on a jumper in the painted area before Roach did the same. A three-point play by Keegan Donovan got the Hawks to within 66-61 with 9:06 to go in the game.

For a stretch of 5:17, the Cardinals could do nothing right as they went 1-for-10 from the field and committed a turnover.
Taking a hint from New Paltz, Plattsburgh State finally put the brakes on the Hawks' big surge by repeatedly barreling down the line and getting fouled by New Paltz. The strategy paid off, as the home team collected their next five points at the charity stripe.

Still, New Paltz refused to fade away, coming as close as four points away after a pair of Roach free throws made the score 71-67 with 6:35 to go.

McIntosh, though, provided the majority of the Cardinals' heroics down the stretch, by racking up a pair of three-point plays and a fast break layup to put his squad up 84-74 with 2:24 left in the tilt. A 6-of-6 mark at the free throw line in the final 39 seconds preserved the Plattsburgh State triumph.

Correa and Hodgson chipped in 11 markers each for the Cardinals, who hit 29 of their 67 field goal attempts (43.3 percent) and out-rebounded the Hawks 46-35.

Sowah netted a game-high 24 points for the Hawks and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to complete his double-double bid. For the game, New Paltz was 27-of-66 (40.9 percent) from the field.

Next week the Cardinals will hit the road again for a pair of games that could very well tell the story of the standings for the upcoming SUNYAC playoffs. The third-place Cardinals will roll into Brockport on Friday night and try to earn a win against the No. 20-ranked Golden Eagles at 8 p.m. After their date with the first-place team in the SUNYAC, a meeting with SUNY Geneseo – the second-place squad in the league – has been scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday.