POTSDAM, N.Y. – For the better part of its mid-week bout at North Country rival SUNY Potsdam, the free throw line was a house of horrors for the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team.

In the final minute, though, the Cardinals were able to successfully camp out there, conquer their fears and secure a comeback triumph.

Senior Reggie Williams stepped calmly to the charity strip and knocked down a crucial pair of go-ahead foul shots with 45 ticks remaining to finish with 16 points and Jordan Moody added game-best 19 markers of his own to help the Cardinals escape upset-minded SUNY Potsdam 71-67 in Jerry Welsh Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

Tuesday's tilt was the very definition of a trap game for the league-leading Cardinals, who improved to 17-6 and 12-4 in SUNYAC battles with surprisingly difficult win. Plattsburgh State shot 49-percent (25-for-51) from the field, but just 17-for-32 (53.1-percent) from the free-throw line in the latest edition of its rivalry skirmish with last-place Bears (2-20, 1-15 SUNYAC).

Williams added a game-high seven rebounds while Mike Mitchell passed out six assists.

Oddly enough, the free throw line was where the Cardinals accumulated their first pair of points. Moody provided the game's first scores 2:40 in when he drew contact on a hard drive to the bucket and knocked down his pair of foul shot attempts.

Following five straight points by the Bears, Moody found Williams down low who laid the ball through the basket for the Cardinals' first field goal 4:05 in.

Still, Plattsburgh State wouldn't retake the lead until Xavier Thomas hammered down a dunk to conclude a 6-0 run which made matters 9-7.

Continuing to play with an intensity which belied their lowly record, the Bears snagged their final lead of the frame when RIshawd Hendricks connected on a fast-break triple. Needing a quick surge of offense to counter the Bears, the Cardinals called on junior Kyle Richardson.

After springing into action off the bench, Richardson struck for six points during the midst of a 8-2 Plattsburgh State run. All of the Cardinals' points came in the paint and helped grow the visitors' edge to 19-14 with 6:58 to go in the frame.

Refusing to simply lie down, the Bears answered with a 5-0 surge of their own, warranting another offensive smack by the Cardinals. Edward Correa and Shamoy McIntosh sandwiched downtown hits around a second-chance layup by Williams which translated to the largest Plattsburgh State lead of the half, 27-21, with 4:18 left in the first.

The squads swapped baskets for the rest of the half, but a rare four-point play for the Bears in the last two seconds of the half allowed the home team to claw back within two, 38-36, at the half.

It looked as though the Cardinals were finally poised to break things open and put an end to the Bears' quest for a win when the visitors began the final 20-minute stage on a 10-5 run. The spree featured scores by five players and allowed Plattsburgh State to take its largest lead of the game, 48-41, a quarter of the way through the stanza.

Steered by Tom Graf and Tariq McIntyre, the Bears' offensive sloop chugged out on a 12-5 surge to pull even with the Cardinals at 53. Graf banged two treys and McIntyre added a pair of close-range hits before Joe Estramonte's free throws at the midway point of the game produced the tie score.

Moody silenced the Potsdam faithful for a moment with his three-point splash, but the home squad reeled off a 6-0 run shortly thereafter to take a 59-56 run with 7:08 remaining.

Thomas canned a fast break layup to give the visitors a 62-61 edge, but that set off another stretch of scoring jabs between the two squads. After a Williams free throw helped Plattsburgh State take a 65-63 edge with 1:30 to go, Graf hit pay dirt on another three which put the Bears ahead for the last time as 63 seconds remained.

Plattsburgh State's defense, though, held strong as the Bears bricked two go-ahead three-point tries in the last 25 seconds.

Zac Adams slung in a team-high 15 points to go along with a game-best seven rebounds for the Bears. Hendricks added 13 for SUNY Potsdam which owned a 43-34 rebounding edge over the Cardinals.

Heading into its last two SUNYAC games of the regular season, the equation is a simple one for the Cardinals. With just one more win, Plattsburgh State will lock up the SUNYAC regular season title as well as hosting rights for the 2014-15 SUNYAC Championship Tournament. Their first chance to accomplish that goal will come on Friday night when Plattsburgh State hosts The Collge at Brockport at 5:30 p.m.