PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Junior forward Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, but the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team fell to SUNY Cortland, 82-52, in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) clash on Thursday evening at Memorial Hall.
 
The Cardinals shot 32.2 percent (19-of-59) from the floor and 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the line, but the Red Dragons wound up knocking down 46.5 percent (33-of-71) of their shots from the floor and 44.8 percent (13-of-29) of their attempts from long range. Both teams finished with 40 rebounds, and Cortland forced Plattsburgh State into 19 turnovers, scoring 22 points off those giveaways.
 
Beyond Salo, senior guard Marlon Todd (Bronx, N.Y./Eagle Academy for Young Men) scored eight points, dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds.
 
The Red Dragons had five players reach double figures, led by junior guard Humberto Cabrera's 16 points. Sophomore guard Danny Linehan and junior guard/forward Kareem Lubin added 13 and 12, points, respectively, and Lubin completed the double-double with 12 rebounds. Senior guard Riley McEvoy netted 11 points in 19 minutes coming off the bench, while junior forward/guard Austin Grunder tallied 10 points.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 1-10 overall (0-4 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts conference-leading Oswego State tomorrow at 4 p.m. Cortland rises to 6-6 overall (2-3 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
Cortland never trailed in the contest, though Plattsburgh State kept it close early. After the Red Dragons scored the first four points of the game, junior center Cameron Ness (Clintondale, N.Y./Highland) put the Cardinals on the board with a made jumper. Salo cashed in on layups on back-to-back possessions to keep Plattsburgh State within two, but Cortland went on a 7-0 tear to take a 15-6 advantage. Sophomore guard/forward Justin Blanchett (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) stopped the run with a layup, and Todd answered a Cortland trey with a 3-pointer of his own to cut the gap back to seven. The Red Dragons broke the game open with a 26-3 run and took a 47-19 lead into the intermission.
 
Salo scored on the opening possession of the second half, and the two teams battled back and forth before Cortland scored 14 unanswered points over a span of 2:24 to seize a 43-point edge, its largest of the game. The Cardinals poured in seven straight points, four of which came from senior forward Kyle Cary (Selkirk, N.Y./Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk), to pull within 80-45, and after Cortland's senior guard Isaiah Preston made a pair of free throws, first-year guard Darren Wright (Washington, D.C./Bard) accounted for five points in a 7-0 Plattsburgh State run to close the game.