NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Senior guard Keegan Donovan (Groton, N.Y./Groton) played one of the best games of his career with 22 points, six assists, two steals, two rebounds and a block, but the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team was unable to overcome a late charge by SUNY Plattsburgh in an 81-71 loss in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener for both teams on Friday night at the Hawk Center.
 
Donovan achieved his 22 points off 7-of-14 shooting from the floor and 7-of-9 shooting from the free-throw line. Freshman guard/forward Nick Paquette (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) poured in 12 points off 4-of-5 shooting—including a 3-of-4 mark from beyond the arc—in 26 minutes coming off the bench, while senior guard/forward R.J. Rosa (North Branch, N.Y./Sullivan West) added 10 points and three steals.
 
For Plattsburgh, senior guard/forward Kyle Richardson registered 30 points off 12-of-17 shooting from the floor and 18 rebounds, while sophomore guard Eli Bryant chipped in with 16 points and five assists coming off the bench.
 
New Paltz drops to 1-5 overall (0-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 4 p.m. Plattsburgh rises to 3-1 overall (1-0 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Oneonta tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
New Paltz came out hot out of the gates, with a Guest layup handing the Hawks a 14-4 edge just 4:48 into the contest. After two free throws by Plattsburgh, sophomore forward Brandon Tolliver (Riverhead, N.Y./Riverhead) extended the advantage back out to 10, which was the Hawks' final double-digit lead of the evening. The two teams traded points before the Cardinals went on a 7-0 tear, and a Richardson layup prompted a New Paltz timeout. A 6-1 Hawk scoring spree staked the home team to a 26-18 advantage with 7:28 to go before the intermission, but the Cardinals outscored the Hawks, 17-13, the rest of the period to spell the halftime tally of 39-35.
 
Neither side could gain much separation in the early goings of the second half, but Plattsburgh seized its first lead of the game during a 9-0 run, as the Cardinals posted a 52-47 advantage midway through the period. A pair of 3-pointers that came from Donovan and junior forward Andrew Seniuk (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) put the Hawks back out in front by a point, and after a midrange jumper by Plattsburgh's freshman forward Jonathan Patron gave the Cardinals the advantage, Paquette drained a 3-pointer from the right corner to put New Paltz on top, 62-60. Plattsburgh proceeded to go on a 15-4 run, though, which forced the Hawks to foul. The Cardinals went 6-of-7 from the line down the stretch to pull out the 10-point win.
 
Both teams shot nearly identical from the field, with New Paltz posting a 41.9 percent (26-of-62) mark from the floor and Plattsburgh shooting 41.8 percent (28-of-67) from the field. The Cardinals did, however, hold a 48-36 edge on the glass and netted 19 second-chance points.