FREDONIA, N.Y. – For the most part, a team that has a little more experience under its collective belt will find a way to take down an opposing squad that possesses a little more athleticism. In order to find truth to that statement, people do not need to look any further than what happened in the Plattsburgh State/Fredonia State men's basketball clash.
Trailing for nearly two-thirds of the game, the Cardinals used a big second-half surge to escape Steele Hall with a 67-58 triumph over Fredonia State on Friday night. Plattsburgh State outscored their hosts 40-27 in the second half to secure the triumph which pushed its record to 7-3 and 2-1 in SUNYAC play.
Another balanced scoring effort was one of the two primary ingredients in the Cardinals' recipe for success as Edward Correa, Shamoy McIntosh and Reggie Williams each slung in 15 points - tying each other for game-high honors. Sabotaging Fredonia State's offensive machine in the final frame, the Cardinals buckled down on defense and limited the home team to 8-for-29 (27.6-percent) shooting in that span.
McIntosh pulled down a game-best 11 rebounds to complete his double-double and helped the Cardinals' out-rebound the Blue Devils (1-7, 0-4 SUNYAC) 45-37.
Coming out in search of their first SUNYAC win of the 2014-15 campaign, the Blue Devils started throwing the proverbial punches early on by setting up shop from beyond the three-point arc. Reigning SUNYAC Player of the Week Reggie Williams staked the Cardinals to an early 1-0 lead after splitting a pair of tries at the foul line, but Bayron Carter and Kyree Hull each laced a triple in the opening minute to give the home team a 6-1 edge.
Williams' free throw shooting was the only offense that came the Cardinals way in the first 2:35 of the tilt. The Blue Devils built their lead to 10-2 before junior long-range hoopster Edward Correa eluded a Fredonia defender and splashed the first Plattsburgh State field goal of the tilt – a deep ball which made matters 10-5.
It was the first of back-to-back treys from Correa which put an end to a 0-for-5 start from the field for the visitors. Junior Kyle Richardson pushed the Cardinals to within one point after Shamoy McIntosh found the Baldwin, N.Y., product unguarded at the top of the key. One pass later, Richardson connected on yet another triple which made matters 16-15.
One singular Blue Devil, Hull, was a particularly large thorn in the Cardinals' side through the opening 20 minutes. Of his 13 points in the first half, six were categorized as fast-break layups and two of those buckets came directly after Richardson's trifecta.
With the Cardinals' offense sputtering, the Blue Devils managed to inflate their advantage to as much as eight, 25-17, through the remainder of the stanza. Shooting a paltry 29.4-percent (10-for-34) in the first half, Plattsburgh State managed to stay within shouting distance thanks to their prowess from downtown.
The visiting squad hit five of its 12 long balls, the last of which came off the hand of McIntosh to pull the Cardinals within 31-27 heading into the locker room for the mid-game break. It was the final points either of the teams would score for the final 3:04 of the half.
After seeing the Blue Devils heat up the nets on 14-for-25 (56-percent) shooting in the first half, the Cardinals made a collective decision to make that number substantially smaller in the final 20 minutes of action.
As well as their ramped-up defensive intensity, the Cardinals optioned to work the rock around inside, first to Williams who registered the first four Plattsburgh State points of the half on a pair of layups. Following Williams' outburst, McIntosh and Correa each added a close-range bank shot before Williams struck again and cut the Blue Devils' lead to 38-37 with 14:19 remaining.
A Fredonia State misfire led to a sharpshooter-to-sharpshooter connection which allowed the Cardinals to take the lead for good. Correa found Richardson on the far wing for one of the two Plattsburgh State long-range splashdowns in the deciding frame.
Armed with their first lead of the night, Plattsburgh State was determined to keep it. Pressuring the Blue Devils into a number of uncomfortable situations, the Cardinals held the home squad to just one field goal during a stretch of 5:39 while pumping up their lead to as many as eight.
McIntosh embarked on a personal 5-0 run and Correa let the Blue Devils know as he launched and connected on another deep triple to up the Cardinals' lead to 47-42.
With the Blue Devils field goal tries hitting iron, air – anything, really, but the bottom of the net – Plattsburgh State kept pouring in the points and increasing its lead as the minutes ticked away. Two free throws each by Zack Coleman and Williams sandwiched around another hard-driving and acrobatic McIntosh layup gave the visitors a 60-46 lead with 4:18 to go.
Although the Blue Devils were extremely successful in busting up the Cardinals' full-court press in the closing minutes – even cutting their deficit down to 63-58 with 1:56 to go – Plattsburgh State hit four free throws and held the home team scoreless over the closing minutes to put the game in the win column.
Hull finished with just two points in the second half, giving him 15 to lead the Blue Devils while Carter added 14. Ian Helps collected 10 rebounds to lead his team in that department.
In order to try and achieve a SUNYAC sweep on the road, the Cardinals will have to get through both a blizzard as well as Buffalo State on Saturday. The Cardinals and Bengals are set to do battle in Buffalo, N.Y., at 2 p.m.
