PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Stepping foot on their home floor for the first time in exactly one month, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team had the collective goal of knocking off an undefeated team for the second time in as many games.

This time, though, the Cardinals came up on the short end of the stick
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A strong defensive effort by Middlebury College (9-0) limited the Cardinals (6-3) to a season-low 53 points as Plattsburgh State found itself on the wrong end of a 63-53 decision against the Panthers in Memorial Hall on Tuesday night.

Senior Shamoy McIntosh struck for a game-high 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting, but as a team the Cardinals connected on just 31.7-percent (20-for-63) of their attempts from the field. Tuesday marked just the third time since the 2011-12 season the Plattsburgh State had been held under 54 points in a game.

The Panthers fared a little better from the field, splashing 40.6-percent (26-for-64) of their attempts. Balanced scoring was one of the keys to the success for Middlebury who was led by a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double by Dylan Sinnickson.

Try as they might, the Cardinals were never able to grab the lead in the non-conference battle. No points were put on the board until Jake Brown contributed an old-fashioned three-point play to the Panthers' cause 3:09 into the bout.

A pair of Reggie Williams free throw makes were the only markers the Cardinals were able to muster through the opening 4:32 until McIntosh banked home a layup to make matters 6-4. From there, though, Plattsburgh State would only add five more points to its total as the game progressed well into the first period.

With 11:55 elapsed, the Panthers had fortified its lead to 19-9 with five of the seven points during a 7-0 surge coming off the hand of Nick Tarantino. Alan Siergiej was able to slice into the Middlebury advantage by submitting an and-one play of his own, but Matt Daley pumped in the next four points for the visitors and increased their lead to the largest it would grow to in the opening stanza (23-12).

Once again, the Cardinals trimmed the lead down when Ezra Hodgson sauntered past a Middlebury defender to score a layup before completing his three-point play at the foul stripe. Junior long-range shooter Edward Correa drilled the second Plattsburgh State trifecta of the first stanza with just 19 ticks remaining to help his team remain within six, 28-22, headed to the halftime break.

The Cardinals' best stretch of basketball through the 40-minute battle came in the infancy of the deciding frame. Reigning SUNYAC Player of the Week Reggie Williams backed down a defender for an easy layup which jumpstarted a 6-0 Plattsburgh State surge to knot matters at 28-all.

Shortly thereafter, though, Middlebury jumped on top of the home team once again when Hunter Merryman and Brown each netted a two-point basket. Williams and McIntosh combined to score the fist 13 Plattsburgh State points on the half to help the Cardinals remain within one before Middlebury was able to put some distance between itself and the home team.

Directly after McIntosh made a hard-driving move to the rack that resulted in a layup to make matters 36-35 with 15:23 to go, the Panthers embarked on a backbreaking 13-1 run over a span of 3:49 to take the wind out of the Cardinals' sails.

Five Middlebury players registered points during the surge while the Cardinals' only point came on a free throw make by Xavier Thomas. While the Panthers were thriving, Plattsburgh State suffered through a 0-for-9 stretch from the field while committing five turnovers.

Tarantino pushed the Panthers' edge to its largest of the night when his long ball made the score 54-40 with 9:42 to go.

The Cardinals' final push came courtesy of Jordan Moody. With an and-one play and a deep three-point hit followed by another layup from McIntosh, Plattsburgh State closed within 54-48 with 7:42 to go, but would only score five more points the rest of the way.

In addition to Sinnickson, the Panthers relied on a big game from Brown who finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Tarantino finished with 11 while Jake Brown added 10 for the well-rounded Panthers.

Hodgson was the only other Plattsburgh State player in double-digits, amassing 10.

In order to try and return to their winning ways, the Cardinals will have to endure a lengthy road trip. Plattsburgh State re-engages in SUNYAC roundball warfare this Friday night when it makes the long journey to Fredonia, N.Y., to tangle with Fredonia State. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.