PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – It was bound to happen to the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team sooner or later, but the timing couldn't have been any worse.

Although some would be loath to admit it, at some point an opposing squad would get hot from the field early and force the Cardinals to play catch-up, forcing them out of their comfort zone. That unfortunate scenario was exactly what transpired in Memorial Hall on Saturday afternoon.

Oswego State began the game on a 17-2 run and the Cardinals were never able to recover from that initial offensive haymaker by the Lakers as they fell in the title game of the SUNYAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament by a tally of 70-58.

The setback drops Plattsburgh State to 19-8 overall and marks the third time in as many seasons in which the Cardinals have come up short in the title game of the conference tournament. Not only was the first-ever loss for head coach Tom Curle in SUNYAC Tournament play within Memorial Hall (10-1), it leaves a big question mark in regards to the Cardinals' future roundball plans.

Oswego State (19-9) fired in field goals at a rate of 50-percent (23-for-46, 8-of-16 from three-point range) to register its first SUNYAC Tournament title since 2011 and locked in its place in the 2015 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. The number two-ranked team in the East division, Plattsburgh State will now have to endure a wait until Monday afternoon at 12:30 p.m., to see if it will head to the national tournament for a third straight season.

Senior Mike Mitchell poured in a team-high 15 points for the Cardinals while Jordan Moody added 11. Ezra Hodgson added nine markers and a game-high seven rebounds for Plattsburgh State which hit 20 of its 51 (39.2-percent) of its field goals.

It was the No. 3 seed Lakers who scored 10 points before the Cardinals could muster any. The visitors received two big-time triples from forward Dustin Pond during a 2:59 stretch to begin the tilt. Senior Jordan Moody finally helped the numbers on the home side of the scoreboard increase by knocking in a pair of free throws, but Kyle Covley answered with a trifecta which sparked the final 7-0 stretch of the Lakers' sizzling start.

Usually one to facilitate things on the offensive end of the floor, senior Mike Mitchell took it upon himself to try and breathe life into the Cardinals. The final-year man out of Milford, N.H., splashed a downtown shot 7:30 in which proved to be Plattsburgh State's first field goal of the game.

The Lakers took their largest lead of the game when a Rashawn Powell layup made it 21-5 in favor of the visiting squad at the midway point of the first half.

Desperately trying to claw their way back into the game, the Cardinals set up shop from beyond the arc and with long balls by Xavier Thomas and Mitchell followed by a put-back layup from Kyle Richardson were able to pull within single digits, 21-13 with 8:13 remaining in the first.

Led by eventual tournament MVP Brian Sortino, the Lakers stayed hot through the rest of the first half, building their lead back up to 12 before the first-half horn sounded.

Oswego State's lead didn't dip below nine points until Moody finished off a 5-0 Plattsburgh State with an old-fashioned three-point play as 6:42 remained in the game. Still down 53-45 at that point, the Cardinals saw the Lakers up their edge to 59-49 with 3:42 before pulling out all the stops in a last-ditch comeback effort.

The figurehead of a 5-0 surge, Mitchell hit a pair of attempts at the foul line and found fellow senior Ezra Hodgson wide open for a roar-inducing downtown hit that trimmed the Lakers' lead to 59-54 with 2:43 left.

Over the next minute, though, things took a southern turn when the Lakers were able to corral an offensive rebound off of a free throw misfire. Another free throw miss yielded another extended possession for the Lakers and this time they didn't squander it.

Covley drained a three with 1:54 left, pushing the Lakers' lead to 63-54 and putting the game out of reach for the Cardinals.

Sortino and Walter Sampson slung in 17 points each for the Lakers while Pond and Covley finished with 12 and 10 respectively.

If this did serve as the last hurrah for the Cardinals' seven-member senior class which includes Hodgson, Moody, Mitchell, Shamoy McIntosh, Alan Siergiej, Gary Tibbs and Reggie Williams, it will mark the end of an era which saw the group amass a 63-23 record since 2012-13. That particular figure includes a 42-12 mark in SUNYAC games, two NCAA Tournament appearances and one SUNYAC regular season title.  

All-Tournament Team
SUNY Geneseo – Gordon Lyons
Plattsburgh State – Mike Mitchell
Plattsburgh State – Jordan Moody
Oswego State – Kyle Covley
Oswego State – Walter Sampson
MVP – Oswego State – Brian Sortino