PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - A furious comeback over the last five minutes of game action and Justin Blanchett's (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) career night came up just short for the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team as they fell 86-82 to Potsdam in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action. Blanchett finished with 28 points and 10 boards, with his point total being the most for any Cardinal in a game since Travis Cox put together a 31-point performance in February 2020. 

Blanchett put together his game and career-high night efficiently, shooting just 13 shots and making nine field goals, making all eight free throw attempts, and also hitting both of his three-point attempts, all while coming off the bench for 25 minutes of action. Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) had 15 points, nine boards, and five assists for Plattsburgh while Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Cards. Plattsburgh native Parker Kelly was the leading scorer for Potsdam, as the sophomore had 16 points on 5-8 shooting, making all four of his three-point shots. Brandon Segar Jr. and Ahamadou Sillah chipped in 14 points and seven boards each off the bench for the Bears. 

The difference in the game came as the Bears just shot the ball better than Plattsburgh State, hitting 46.6% of their shots from the field and going 12-20 (60%) from downtown. The Cards were solid from the field, shooting 40% from the floor, and added six makes on 23 attempts (26%) from deep, but a strong night at the line kept them in the game, shooting 83% (20-24). The Bears took 12 fewer shots overall than Plattsburgh, but they attempted 32 free throws over the 40 minutes of action. 

The Cardinals will drop to 4-9 and 0-6 in SUNYAC play, and will next play at Buffalo State on Friday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. Potsdam improves to 4-8 and 2-4 in league play with the win and also makes the trip to western New York this weekend, as they will play Fredonia next on Friday, Jan. 13. 

For the first 35 minutes of the game, it appeared the Bears were in control and on their way to a comfortable win over the Cards. Potsdam led by nine points early in the action, before the 16-minute mark, and held their first double-digit lead with 14:17 to go in the first half. Five straight points around the 11-minute mark in the first-period from Blanchett helped Plattsburgh pull within five points, but the Bears led by as much as 13 from then on, taking a 45-36 lead into halftime. 

The Cardinals struggled to cut into the Potsdam lead throughout the second half, as they could not come closer than eight points until the 2:37 mark. After a layup from Jeff Williamson put the Cards down 83-68 at the 5:04 mark, a quick 8-0 run put Plattsburgh down seven before the Bears got a lay-in from Mesean Johnson to put his team back up nine. Back-to-back layups from Blanchett followed, and the Cards were all of the sudden down just 85-80. With 20 seconds to go, a missed three, and then missed tip-in from Tabb turned into another Blanchett lay-in, as he pulled down the offensive board, putting the Cards down just one possession for the first time since the 18:12 mark in the first half. Playing the foul game with the shot clock off. the Bears missed two free throws to give Plattsburgh a chance, but a three-point attempt with 10 seconds to go wouldn't fall, sending Potsdam back to the line. This time, one of two attempts went, to put the Bears up by four, and an ensuing three-point attempt would fall short for the Cards.