Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Size matters, but ultimately it's the speed that kills. Well, speed and - in the case of the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team - a career night from junior Ezra Hodgson. 

In an electrifying performance, the junior out of Rindge, N.H., poured in a game and career high 27 points while he - along with the rest of the Cardinals - succeeded in making quite the mockery out of the number-one ranked scoring defense in all of Division III basketball by hanging a 76-53 win on MIT in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament in Memorial Hall on Friday night. 

Hodgson's final stat line showed that he connected on nine of his 16 field goal attempts including a 6-of-9 (66.7-percent) mark from downtown. 

Heading into Friday night's bout, MIT had allowed opponents to score just 54.9 points per game on them. Only two other teams in 2013-14 - Tufts and NCAA Division I squad Harvard - had managed to score more point on the Engineers in a single game than the Cardinals did. Thanks to their latest victory, the Cardinals improve to 23-5 and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tourney.

The Engineers bow out of the national tournament, concluding their 2013-14 season with a 20-9 mark. It was the sixth consecutive season that MIT had accomplished the dual feats of amassing at least 20 wins and making the NCAA Tournament field. 

"I was concerned about MIT's size wearing us down, but I think in the end our quickness wore them down," said Plattsburgh State head coach Tom Curle who has led the Cardinals to six of their seven NCAA Tournament appearances. 

Also making some solid contributions for the Cardinals were Shamoy McIntosh and Alan Siergiej who chipped in 15 and 10 points respectively. 

With six players listed a 6'8 or taller on the Engineers' roster, the Cardinals were at a distinct disadvantage in the height department right from the opening tip. Forshadowing things, Hodgson hit his first field goal attempt of the tilt to give the home squad a 2-0 lead seconds into the NCAA Tournament battle.

The three-balls were going down early for MIT, as Justin Pedley connected on a pair to stake the Engineers to a 7-6 advantage early on, but the visitors would drain just three more triples during the game to finish a woeful 5-of-22 (22.7-percent) from long distance. 

As the teams traded baskets over the next few possessions, towering MIT five-man Andrew Acker drew things even for the final time when his layup made matters 11-11 with 12:07 to go in the opening frame. Through the course of the next 4:25, Plattsburgh State reeled off 10 consecutive points, culminating with a three-point play by the junior McIntosh who returned to the floor for the first time since Feb. 22. 

More makes in the interior by MIT trimmed the Cardinals' lead to 21-16, but a 5-0 Plattsburgh State surge which began with a deep triple by Mike Mitchell pushed the lead back to 10. From that point on, the Cardinals would see that edge dip below 10 points just once more. 

Siergiej pushed Plattsburgh State's lead to 13 - its largest of the half - with a layup as 3:23 was left in the initial frame. Dennis Levene kept it a 10-point ballgame at the halfway point by husting down two offensive rebounds in the waning second of the first half and putting in a jumper in the painted area. 

Hodgson's silky shooting touch continued well into the deciding frame, as the junior knocked down yet another triple to begin scoring in the second half. Saddled with three personal fouls in the first half, John Perez put in the four of the Cardinals' first 10 points of the final frame to keep the lead at 13, 43-30.

Their energy being sapped quickly due to the Cardinals' speedy pace, the Engineers' game plan of going to war down on the block just wasn't enough to keep up with the torrid home squad. Plattsburgh State slung in 50-percent of their field goals (14-of-28) and triples (7-of-14) in the deciding frame to widen the gap. 

A Tim Butala jumper would cut Plattsburgh State's lead to 61-46 with 5:39 to go, but Hodgson was unrelenting in his long range assault. Two more long balls sent waves of excitement through the pro-Plattsburgh crowd and pushed the Cardinals' lead to 22, 68-46, with 4:16 to go.

After Hodgson exited the game to a round of raucous cheering, a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays by Siergiej upped the Plattsburgh State lead to 74-48 - its largest of the game - with just 3:09 remaining. 

When the dust had finally settled, Plattsburgh State found itself with an 11-of-29 (37.9-percent) line from long distance and a 42.9-percent (24-of-56) figure for the game. Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that the Cardinals committed just five turnovers - a season low.

Acker finished with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Engineers who shot 39.6-percent (19-of-48) in the setback.

On Saturday night, the Cardinals will face off against Eastern Connecticut State with a berth to the Sweet Sixteen on the line. The second-round NCAA Tournament tilt will get underway at 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall. Tickets for the game will go on sale in the Memorial Hall lobby at 5 p.m.