Plattsburgh State Athletics

NORTH ADAMS, MASS. - The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team sustained their first loss on the road on Friday evening, falling to MCLA 75-72 on the road. Plattsburgh led by as many as eleven points in the second half, but couldn't pull away as an MCLA layup with 1:17 left gave them a lead they would not relinquish.

For the Cardinals, Sheriff Conteh (Bronx, NY/Our Savior Lutheran) was the leading scorer with 13 points, as he went a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line. Erik Salo (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds while Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, NY/Thomas Jefferson) had 12 points and Justin Blanchett (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Hayes) had 10 points off the bench. Noah Yearsley was the game's leading scorer, as he poured in a game-high 26 points, had seven blocks, and added three steals. 

The Trailblazers won the battle in the trenches, outscoring the Cards 44-32 in the paint, including 26-14 in the second half. Each team shot well, shooting a near-identical 43% from the field, with Plattsburgh shooting 33% from three and MCLA shooting 26% from downtown. 

Plattsburgh falls to 1-1 with the loss and next welcomes the St. Lawrence Saints to town for a non-conference matchup on Nov. 16 at 7:30 pm. MCLA rises to 1-1 with the victory and will next play Dartmouth tomorrow, Nov. 12 at 7 pm. 

At the outset of the game's action, the Trailblazers were able to gain an early advantage over the Cards, leading 28-17 after a Yearsley three-pointer. The Cardinals were able to respond with an 11-2 run, scoring four straight points at the line before a lay-in from Salo and a three-pointer from Tabb cut the lead to four. Tabb then followed with a breakaway lay-in off of a Conteh steal to cap the 11-2 run. A three from Conteh a few minutes later put the Cards down one, and a thunderous dunk gave his team the lead with 2:25 to go in the half. A Blanchett layup with three seconds left in the first half looked to give Plattsburgh a sure halftime lead, but Yearsley hit a halfcourt heave at the buzzer to give MCLA a 39-37 lead. 

In the second half, a back-and-forth battle ensued for the first nine minutes of the half until a Blanchett layup jump-started a 10-0 Cardinal run, capped by another Blanchett layup, to give Plattsburgh a 63-52 lead. MCLA chipped away at the lead, however, as they held Plattsburgh to just two points from the 5:12 minute mark on. After a KoreyGreeland three gave the Trailblazers their first since the beginning of the half, Conteh was able to knock down two free throws to give the Cards the lead right back. In the ensuing possession, Yearsley continued his excellent game with a lay-in to give MCLA a lead they would not relinquish. Plattsburgh had a three-point try to tie the game at the buzzer, but could not get the shot to fall. 

Plattsburgh is now 7-3 all-time versus MCLA, as the teams played for the first time since 1983 on Friday night.