PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Despite outscoring SUNY Plattsburgh by two points in the second half, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team dropped an 81-69 decision to the Cardinals in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener for both teams on Friday night at Memorial Hall.
 
Plattsburgh asserted itself early and never looked back, scoring 20 of the game's first 22 points and entering the halftime intermission with a 40-26 cushion. The Cardinal attack shot 42.3 percent (30-of-71) from the floor on the contest and held a 45-39 edge in rebounds. New Paltz did, however, shoot well from the free-throw line and from 3-point range, shooting 75.0 percent (15-of-20) from the charity stripe and 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from beyond the arc.
 
New Paltz drops to 1-5 overall (0-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and visits SUNY Potsdam tomorrow for a 2 p.m. contest. Plattsburgh rises to 5-1 overall (1-0 SUNYAC) with the win and hosts SUNY Oneonta tomorrow at 2 p.m.
 
Plattsburgh appeared to be running away with the game, staking itself to a 36-17 advantage with 3:52 left in the first half. New Paltz, however, relied on two 3-pointers by senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) to trim the deficit to 13, and after a made Cardinal basket, Rosa made it a 12-point game with another trey. Plattsburgh's junior guard/forward Xavier Thomas dunked on the next possession to spell the halftime score of 40-26.
 
The Cardinals swelled the advantage back up in the second half, though, and led by as many as 22 points. The Hawks closed the contest on a 13-5 run to build momentum heading into tomorrow's tilt, with sophomore guard Eric Regenbogen (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) putting the final touches on the spurt with a 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation.
 
Rosa and Regenbogen tied for the team-high in points with 13 apiece, with Regenbogen's total—a career-high—coming off the bench. Senior guard/forward Taylor Sowah (Bronx, N.Y./Miller Place) added 11 points to round out the Hawks' double-digit scorers. Sowah pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while Rosa posted three steals.
 
For Plattsburgh, senior forward Ezra Hodgson drained a game-high 18 points, while senior guard Jordan Moody and Thomas chipped in with 15 and 13 points, respectively, coming off the bench. Senior forward Reggie Williams caromed a game-high 10 rebounds, while senior guard Mike Mitchell and senior guard Shamoy McIntosh dished out seven and six assists, respectively.