PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team was unable to hold on to an early lead in a 91-70 loss to non-conference and 10th-ranked Middlebury College in its home finale Tuesday evening at Memorial Hall.
 
The Cardinals scored the first five points of the game and also took an 8-3 advantage following a 3-pointer by junior guard Zack Coleman (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley), but Middlebury countered with a game-changing 15-1 run and never trailed the remainder of the contest. Plattsburgh State drew within five points midway through the first half with back-to-back 3-pointers by sophomore guard Brandon Johnson (Greenburgh, N.Y./Woodlands) and junior guard Eli Bryant (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides School) as a part of a modest 6-0 run, and while the Panthers led by as many as 12 points in the period, the Cardinals scored the final four points of the half to cut the deficit to 39-33 heading into the intermission.
 
Plattsburgh State stayed within striking distance of Middlebury early in the second half until the Panthers netted 11 straight points midway through the period to provide enough insurance to cruise to the victory. Middlebury led by as many as 28 points in the second half.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 11-12 overall with the loss and takes to the road on Friday, Feb. 17, when it visits SUNY New Paltz for a 5:30 p.m. State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) encounter. Middlebury rises to 21-3 overall with the win and hosts Bates College in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament quarterfinals next on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m.
 
Middlebury shot 48.6 percent (34-of-70) from the floor and 84.2 percent (16-of-19) from the line in the game, and it finished with a 47-41 differential in rebounds. The Panthers played well in transition, with 21 of their points coming on the fast break. Plattsburgh State, meanwhile, shot 37.7 percent (26-of-69) from the field.
 
Sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) and sophomore guard/forward Chris Middleton (New York, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) led Plattsburgh State with 16 and 12 points, respectively, while Middleton added eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Off the bench, Johnson offered a stat line of nine points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
For Middlebury, senior guard Matt St. Amour keyed the Panthers' efforts with 30 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. He was 11-of-15 from the floor, 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Junior guard Jack Daly posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 assists, while junior forward Adisa Majors netted 17 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Junior forward Nick Tarantino finished with double figures in rebounds with 11.