PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – A strong shooting performance helped SUNY Geneseo push past the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contest Friday night at Memorial Hall, as the Cardinals fell by an 86-71 final.
 
The Knights shot at a 49.2 percent clip from the field on the game, which included a 62.1 percent (18-of-29) outing in the second half. Geneseo shot 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from 3-point range and 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from the line as well. Geneseo's marksmanship from the field overshadowed another dominating performance for Plattsburgh State in the rebounding department, as the Cardinals finished with a 49-32 edge on the glass. The Knights also turned 17 Cardinal turnovers into 17 points.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 6-2 overall (2-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and closes out the 2016 portion of its schedule tomorrow afternoon when it hosts The College at Brockport in a 2 p.m. SUNYAC tilt. Geneseo rises to 5-3 overall (2-1 SUNYAC) with the win and meets up with SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 2 p.m.
 
After the Cardinals jumped out to an early lead, the Knights countered with an 8-0 spurt to take an 18-11 advantage after a made layup by junior guard Kevin Crockett. Geneseo matched that seven-point cushion a few minutes later before Plattsburgh State went on a 16-4 run, with a made jumper by junior guard Eli Bryant (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides School) handing the Cardinals a 32-27 lead with 3:39 to go before halftime. Six unanswered points by Geneseo gave the visitors the advantage once again, but Plattsburgh State closed the opening stanza with four consecutive points. A dunk by junior guard Eric Mack (Roosevelt, N.Y./Baldwin) with three seconds to go gave the Cardinals a 36-33 lead at the intermission.
 
Plattsburgh State led by as many as seven points early in the second half, but a 14-3 Geneseo surge gave the Knights the lead for good. The Cardinals stayed within striking distance for a while and closed the gap to two on an old-fashioned 3-point play by sophomore forward Isaiah Hill (Brooklyn, N.Y./High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies) with 8:23 to go in regulation, but Geneseo closed the game on a 20-7 scoring spree to come away with the road conference win.
 
Sophomore forward Ian Howard (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens) posted his first career double-double with a career-high 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Mack led all Plattsburgh State scorers with 15 points coming off the bench. Sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) contributed as well with an eight-point, 14-rebound performance.
 
For Geneseo, senior guard Justin Ringen led four Knights in double figures with 21 points, and he added six assists. Senior guards Jack Eisenberg and John Decker each scored 16 points, while sophomore forward Jack Manke provided 10.