PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Four Cardinals reached double figures, and despite shooting 43.9 percent (29-of-66) from the floor, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team fell, 92-79, to SUNY Poly in a non-conference contest on Tuesday evening at Memorial Hall.
 
Junior guard Axel Rodriguez (Fajardo, Puerto Rico/New Paltz [N.Y.]) and junior forward Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) led the Cardinal attack with 16 points each, while junior center Cameron Ness (Clintondale, N.Y./Highland) added a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. Senior guard/forward Sheriff Conteh (Bronx, N.Y./Our Saviour Lutheran) netted a career-high 14 points in 27 minutes coming off the bench.
 
SUNY Poly shot 64.3 percent (36-of-56) from the field for the contest, including a sizzling 78.6 percent (22-of-28) clip in the first half. The Wildcats converted nearly half their 3-point attempts, going 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from distance, and they held a 38-30 edge in rebounds. SUNY Poly turned the ball over 16 times, and the Cardinals netted 28 points off those giveaways.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 1-4 overall with the loss and opens up State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play on Tuesday, Nov. 30, when it hosts SUNY Potsdam at 7:30 p.m. SUNY Poly rises to 2-2 overall with the win and next squares off with Fredonia on Saturday, Nov. 27, at 4 p.m.
 
While SUNY Poly opened up an 18-7 lead in the opening five minutes of the contest, Conteh put the team on his back during a seven-point surge in which he accounted for all seven points to cut the gap to four. The two teams traded points until Plattsburgh State went on another seven-point run, and Conteh drilled a 3-pointer to hand the Cardinals a 25-24 advantage midway through the first half, which wound up being their only lead of the game. Both sides traded baskets, but a layup by junior forward Jesse O'Dell and a 3-pointer by first-year guard Dylan Ernst ballooned the Wildcat edge to 46-39 with 3:24 left in the first half. SUNY Poly eventually extended its lead to eight, but Conteh converted on an inbound pass from Rodriguez before the buzzer to trim the Cardinal deficit to 50-44 heading into the locker rooms.
 
Salo converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play to open up the second half to make it a one-possession game, but that wound up being the last time the Cardinals were within striking distance of the Wildcats, as the visitors proceeded to go on a 16-5 run to break open a 66-52 cushion. SUNY Poly carried the momentum for the middle portion of the second half until Plattsburgh State netted five unanswered points to whittle the deficit to seven. Salo knocked down a pair of free throws to start the run before Rodriguez buried a 3-pointer to pull the Cardinals within seven at 81-74 with 4:58 left. The Wildcats put the game out of reach with nine unanswered points, and they never led by less than double digits down the stretch.
 
O'Dell paced the Wildcats with a triple-double, registering 23 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, while senior forward Josh Gregory led the team in scoring with a game-high 31 points and added 12 rebounds for the double-double. Sophomore guard L.J. Randle also reached double figures with 13 points.