PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Junior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township) tied for the game-high in points with 27 off 8-of-15 shooting from the field—including a 4-of-7 mark from distance—and 7-of-8 shooting from the free-throw line, but the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (3-4, 1-2 SUNYAC) was handed an 86-72 loss against SUNY Plattsburgh (3-4, 1-2 SUNYAC) on Tuesday night at Memorial Hall in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.

Beyond Devine, senior guard/forward Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) also reached double figures with 20 points and added four assists and eight rebounds. Devine and freshman forward/center Alan Siergiej (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) each boasted seven boards.

For Plattsburgh, Shavar Fields tied with Devine for the game-high in points with 27, as he connected on 11-of-18 shots from the floor and 4-of-7 shots from the foul line. John Perez had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Josh Bruno and Anthony Baker reached double figures coming off the bench, scoring 16 and 11 points, respectively.

The Hawks shot well from the free-throw line once again, shooting at an 81.0 percent (17-of-21) clip. Both squads shot around 40 percent from the floor, but the Cardinals held a 43-32 edge on the glass and won the turnover battle, with New Paltz coughing the ball up 15 times to Plattsburgh's six.

The two teams engaged in a back-and-forth tussle in the opening 10 minutes of play, and after Wichard made it a one-point game with the score at 22-21 in favor of Plattsburgh, the Cardinals went on a 6-0 run to go up by seven with 6:35 remaining in the first half. A pair of Devine free throws less than a minute later ended up bringing the Hawks within three at 5:46 of the first half, but Ezra Hodgson hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to start a 10-0 run for the Cardinals, and they led by 13 with 3:44 to go in the first half.

Two three-pointers by Devine in the final 30 seconds of play in the first stanza helped New Paltz enter the locker room with a manageable six-point deficit (42-36). Devine torched the nets in the first half, scoring 21 points off 6-of-8 shooting from the floor—including a 3-of-3 mark from long range—and 6-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line.

Plattsburgh began the second half with a 13-4 run, which was ended by a Wichard layup at 14:45 of the second half. New Paltz charged back, chipping away at the lead until junior guard Shalik Jenkins (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys and Girls) made it a six-point game at 64-58 with 7:48 left in regulation. Mike Mitchell scored on the ensuing Cardinal possession to swell the Plattsburgh edge back to eight, but junior guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) knocked down a pair of free throws on the next Hawk possession to pull New Paltz back within six. After both teams went more than a minute without scoring, Plattsburgh recaptured the momentum and rode it throughout the remainder of the contest.

New Paltz looks to get back on track on Thursday, Dec. 8, when it hosts non-conference Montclair State University at 7 p.m. at the Hawk Center.