PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team fell, 83-56, to defending State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) champion SUNY Cortland on Saturday afternoon in conference action at Memorial Hall.
 
Cortland shot 44.1 percent (30-of-68) from the floor on the game, including a 45 percent (18-of-40) mark from 3-point range. Plattsburgh State, meanwhile, was limited to 28.3 percent (17-of-60) shooting from the field and 15.4 percent (4-of-26) shooting from beyond the arc. Cortland finished with a 45-35 edge in rebounds, while both teams committed 13 turnovers.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 6-8 overall (2-6 SUNYAC) with the loss and will look to right the ship on Friday, Jan. 20, when it visits The College at Brockport for a 5:30 p.m. contest. Cortland rises to 11-4 overall (6-2 SUNYAC) with the win and visits SUNY Oneonta next on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 5:30 p.m.
 
The Cardinals fired the opening salvo, jumping out to an 11-5 lead following a pair of free throws by sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields). Cortland retaliated with an 11-2 surge, seizing a lead it would not surrender the rest of the contest. The Red Dragons led by as many as 18 in the latter stages of the first half and entered the locker rooms with a 47-31 advantage.
 
Plattsburgh State started to wrest the momentum away from Cortland early in the second half, as sophomore forward Ian Howard (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens) scored on a layup before junior guard Zack Coleman (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) forced a steal and converted on a fast-break dunk on the ensuing possession. Sophomore guard Justin Cooper responded for the Red Dragons with a 3-pointer before junior guard Eric Mack (Roosevelt, N.Y./Baldwin) provided two free throws on two separate possessions to draw the Cardinals within 13 points.
 
Cortland wound up putting the game out of reach, though, thanks largely to eight unanswered points that gave the Red Dragons a 58-37 advantage. The Red Dragons led by as many as 33 points, a mark they reached twice in the final 5:39 of the contest.
 
Mack led Plattsburgh State with nine points coming off the bench, and he added four rebounds and two blocks. Patron finished with five points and eight rebounds, while Howard grabbed a team-high nine boards.
 
Cooper led Cortland with 13 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Junior guard James Morales scored a game-high 17 points, while sophomore guard Nicky Bonura and freshman forward Ryan Schmadel netted 13 and 12 points, respectively, coming off the bench.