PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo junior forward Gordon Lyons scored a career-high 29 points on 13-of-17 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, but it was host Plattsburgh out-shooting the Knights in their State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener, 97-85, Friday night.
Despite shooting almost 48 percent from the field, Geneseo came up against an even hotter shooting Cardinal squad that finished the game hitting 53.8 percent of its shots, including a 50-percent effort (12-of-24) showing from long-range that proved to be the difference.
"Its disappointing to lose on a night when we shot the ball very well, but we gave up too many transition baskets, especially in the first half, that came back to haunt us," said Geneseo head coach Steve Minton. "Gordon was outstanding, but they did a good job shutting down the rest of our starters."
A back-and-forth first half saw the lead change hands eight times in the first 10 minutes of play. A jumper by senior guard Connor Fedge, who finished the night with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench, staked the Knights to a 15-12 lead with 11:17 on the clock. Plattsburgh would us a 5-0 run to retake the lead, but Fedge would answer with a three-point play to put Geneseo back on top, 18-17, with 8:47 remaining in the first.
Plattsburgh would try to pull away to close the first half, building a six-point edge, 37-31, at the 2:53 mark, but would only find itself ahead by two heading into intermission, 39-37.
As the second half unfolded, a jumper by senior forward Matt Curry at 15:43 got the Knights within two points, 50-48, but 10-unanswered points by Plattsburgh's Shamoy McIntosh, who finished the evening with a game-high 33 points (including 20 in the second half), put the home team on top, 60-48, with 13:18 on the clock.
Geneseo would claw its way back within two points, 69-67, on a three-point basket by first-year guard Jonathan Cohen with 8:13 remaining in regulation, but the Cardinals would again find an answer with a 13-5 spurt to push its lead back up to 10, 82-72, with 4:07 on the clock. The Knights couldn't recover, falling behind by as many as 14 down the stretch en route to the loss.
Lyons eclipsed his former career-best 24-point outburst that he compiled on two occasions, most recently in a 76-74 victory at Medaille on Nov. 25.
Geneseo returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Potsdam for an 4:00 p.m. tip-off with the Bears.