PLATTSBURGH, NY - The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team outlasted Clarkson on Tuesday night, defeating the Golden Knights 76-71 in non-conference play. Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, NY/Thomas Jefferson) poured in 19 points off the bench in just 23 minutes, hitting two huge threes down the stretch to help give the Cardinals their first season-opening win of head coach Mike Blaine's tenure. 

Tabb led all scorers with his 19 points, also pulling down six boards for his team. Myles Jones (Alexandria, VA/Blue Ridge School) was very efficient in his Plattsburgh debut, putting up 16 points on nine field goal attempts while also dishing out six assists. Despite playing through foul trouble, senior forward Erik Salo (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) still made contributions all over the court, socring nine points, grabbing six boards, and assisting on five shots. 

For Clarkson, Garrett Delaney had the most points, hitting five threes off the bench and scoring 18 points. Blake Gearhart had 15 points for the Golden Knights, adding four board and four assists.

The Golden Knights shot the ball well, finishing at a solid 40% clip from the field, but the Cards shot even better, finishing the game shooting at 42% from the field. The team also went 9-22 (40.9%) from three and held Clarkson to just a 26.9% shooting mark from downtown. Plattsburgh State also scored an impressive 21 points off of turnovers, taking advantage of several Clarkson miscues. 

The Cardinals stand at 1-0 after the win as they will head to MCLA for a road matchup on Friday, Nov. 11, before they return home to host St. Lawrence on Nov. 16 at 7:30 pm. Clarkson falls to 0-1 as they drop their season opener for the 2022-23 season.

The game was largely a back-and-forth affair, with neither team earning more than an eight-point advantage throughout its entirety.  After a Jack Dalgety three tied the game up at six early in the game for Clarkson. the Cards pushed out an 8-0 run to engage a packed Memorial Hall. Ladan Graves (Pelham Memorial, NY/Pelham) started the run with an offensive rebound and lay-in, and then back-to-back threes from Jones and Willard Anderson Jr. (Buffalo, NY/East) got the crowd on its feet for the early lead. Clarkson quickly responded with a 9-0 run of their own, taking a 15-14 lead off a Finn Cork layup. The first half continued to swing back and forth, as the period remained a one possession affair for the final eleven-plus minutes. 

Each team through punch after punch in the second half, with no lead moving over five points through its majority. With just over three minutes to go, Gearhart gave the Golden Knights a lead with a jump shot in the paint. Out of a timeout, the Cards gave the ball to Tabb, who shook his defender off with a smooth stepback, getting his feet behind the three-point line, and making the trey. After Clarkson tied the game, Jones gave Plattsburgh the lead for good with a lay-in at the 1:49 mark of action. Forcing a miss from Gearhart, the Cards once again turned to Tabb, who hit another big three pointer, this time to put his team up 73-68 for a multiple possession lead. 

Over the final minute, the Cardinals forced a couple missed shots and hit just enough free throws, as a Tabb fastbreak layup sealed the win in the waning moments. The sophomore guard scored eight points over the final three minutes, helping to secure a big win for the Cardinals.