SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State men's basketball picked up a win over Skidmore on Tuesday night in non-conference action, as they have now posted back-to-back road wins. The team has now surpassed their win total from last season with their third victory of the season.
Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) was once again the team's leading scorer, dropping a new season-high 25 points, going a perfect 11-11 from the line. Willard Anderson Jr. (Buffalo, N.Y./East) had a strong game off the bench, posting a season-high 20 points, shooting an efficient 7-10 from the floor and 4-6 from three. Erik Salo(Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) had just six points but made his impact felt with 14 boards. Tautvydas Kupstas had a game-high 27 points for Skidmore while Riley Greene had 20 points in the loss.
Plattsburgh dominated the boards, picking up 47 rebounds to Skidmore's 38, as the Cards shot 45.6% from the floor. Both teams were sparkling from the charity stripe as Plattsburgh was 19-20 and Skidmore was 19-21. The Cardinal bench was the key to the win, with 33 points off the bench, while Skidmore had just four points from their bench players.
The Cardinals move to 3-2 on the season, and will open SUNYAC play in their next game, heading to Potsdam for a 7:30 matchup on Nov. 29. The Thoroughbreds fall to 2-2 on the season and also return to action on Nov. 29 to play SUNY Poly.
Plattsburgh earned the win on Tuesday night through strong shooting and controlling the glass. The team led at halftime 42-35, and out-rebounded Skidmore 24-18 in the first period, while also shooting 10-11 from the line and 4-8 from deep. Skidmore jumped to an early 13-0 lead, but Plattsburgh was able to come back as the team slowly chipped away and built their advantage through strong defense for the rest of the half. From the 14:58 mark in the first half on, the Cards outscored Skidmore 42-22 in the half and 87-66 for the rest of the game. The team took their first lead of the game at the 7:52 mark as Sheriff Conteh (Bronx, N.Y./Our Saviour Lutheran) found Ladan Graves(Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) for a jumper in the paint to give the Cards a 23-21 lead.
The Cardinals would never relinquish the lead from then on, leading by as many as 11 points over the Thoroughbreds. Leading by seven at halftime, Conteh grabbed the first bucket of the second half to put his team up nine. However, Skidmore would prove tough to put away, as they came within one possession several times, and as close as a point with 5:29 to go. After a free throw made the score 71-70 Cards, Salo was able to knock down two free throws, and Anderson had a big steal and fastbreak layup to put his team back up multiple possessions.
Leading by five with two minutes to go, Anderson knocked down another clutch shot and hit a three at the 1:55 mark to put his team up eight points. Over the final seconds of the game, the Cards were able to bleed precious time off the clock and knock down important free throws to keep their multiple-possession lead. Leading by seven with the shot clock off, the Cardinals were able to force a miss as Tabb leaked out and finished for a lay-in as he was fouled for the old-fashioned three-point play, sealing the win for Plattsburgh.