WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Plattsburgh State broke open a four-point game with a 17-8 run over the final 7:23 of the first half Saturday night at the Lycoming Dutch Burch Tip-Off Tournament. It would prove to be the turning point, as the Cardinals dealt Elizabethtown a 74-59 opening night loss.

The Cardinals, fresh off a trip to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 last spring, and receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, wanted a track meet in the first half and looked as though they may get it.

Joe Bodnar came out slinging, knocking down a pair of jumpers in the opening 2:09 to put the blue and gray ahead 4-1. Plattsburgh missed its first two shots, but that would be an aberration, as it went on to make 15 of its next 26 to shoot 53.6% for the half.

A pair of Edward Correa free throws just over three minutes in put the Cardinals (1-0) in front for the first time, 8-6, and they never looked back from there.

Though the Jays (0-1) could not regain the lead, they hung in and answered PSU baskets with their own. When Evan Hathaway's 3-pointer splashed through the twine with 10:28 to go, E-town only trailed 20-18.

But, after a scoreless drought of more than two minutes for both sides, Xavier Thomas scored five straight points to increase the Cards' lead to seven.

The PSU lead eventually grew to double digits, as the Blue Jays' offensive pace slowed. E-town hit 11-of-33 shots and were just 2-of-7 from 3-point land in the first half. Sitting on two fouls, Tyler Simpkiss was hit with two more in a 38-second span with less than two minutes remaining, putting him on the bench for much of the second half.

Senior Lee Eckert scored 12 of his team-high 20 points in the second half, allowing the Blue Jays to match Plattsburgh State point-for-point. Elizabethtown could never get closer than 13, though.

Eckert, the only E-town player in double figures, was 10-of-19 shooting. He also had a team-high seven rebounds. Bodnar finished with nine points and Hathaway came off the bench to score seven, but the Blue Jays 34.4% shooting performance was minimized by a sweltering Plattsburgh side that finished 25-of-47 (53.2%) from the floor and hit 16-of-21 freebies.

Ezra Hodgson's game-high 21 points led three Cardinals in double figures. Jordan Moody scored 14 in a reserve role and Reggie Williams had 10.

Senior point guard Phil Wenger led all players with three steals, and in doing so, surpassed Keith Fogel for fifth on the school's career steals list with his 188th.

The Blue Jays will try to earn a weekend split in the consolation game against Penn State Schuylkill tomorrow afternoon. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.