POTSDAM, N.Y. – First-year guard Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) led the Cardinals with a career-high 26 points and six rebounds, but the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team fell to SUNY Potsdam, 80-67, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action on Tuesday evening at Maxcy Hall.
 
Junior forward Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) posted a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double in addition to handing out four assists, while first-year guard Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y./East Rockaway) also reached double figures with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor.
 
For Potsdam, junior center/forward Tyrese Baptiste scored 18 points in 26 minutes coming off the bench, while first-year guard Jeff Williamson netted 15 points. First-year forward Parker Kelly and sophomore forward Ahamadou Sillah scored 12 points each, with Sillah's total coming in 24 minutes of reserve action.
 
The Cardinals shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the field, marking their second-best performance so far this season. They also shot 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from the line. The Bears, meanwhile, were 47.7 percent (31-of-65) from the floor and 60 percent (12-of-20) from the line, and they held a 37-29 edge in rebounds.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 2-19 overall (1-13 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Geneseo on Friday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. Potsdam rises to 10-9 overall (8-6 SUNYAC) with the win and next hosts SUNY Brockport on Friday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
 
Potsdam jumped out to an early 12-6 lead, but a 12-2 Cardinal run, which was capped off by a layup by senior forward Kyle Cary (Selkirk, N.Y./Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk), gave Plattsburgh State an 18-14 advantage. The two teams traded baskets before the Bears scored five unanswered points to take a four-point lead, and Potsdam led by as many as seven points in the opening stanza. Tabb accounted for all six points in a 6-0 run to cut the gap to one, but Potsdam netted five unanswered points to close out the half to enter the locker rooms with a 38-32 edge.
 
Salo and Infante each scored the first two baskets of the second half to make it a two-point game, but a 6-0 Bear surge handed Potsdam a 44-36 cushion. While Potsdam extended its lead to 13 with 7:03 left, Plattsburgh State scored seven straight points, and a pair of free throws by senior guard/forward Sheriff Conteh (Bronx, N.Y./Our Saviour Lutheran) whittled the deficit to 64-58. The two sides exchanged points before a 12-0 Bear run put the game out of reach.