PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The No. 21 ranked and top seeded Plattsburgh State men's basketball team was taken down by Oswego State 81-74 on Friday night in the SUNYAC semifinal round in front of crowd of over 800 inside Memorial Hall on Friday night.
 
The Lakers get a win over the Cardinals for the second straight season in the SUNYAC playoffs inside Memorial Hall. Much like the last two times he's played on Plattsburgh State's home floor, Oswego State junior guard Brian Sortino stood out among all players, as he registered a game-high 29 points on 8-of-13 (61.5-percent) shooting, including 3-for-5 from downtown and 10-of-13 from the free throw line.
 
Senior Kyle Richarson led Plattsburgh State with 25 points to go along with eight boards. Richardson shot an even 50-percent, going 10-for-20 with two of his baskets coming from three-point range.
 
First-year player Chris Middleton logged a career-high 20 minutes in Friday's game, and posted his first 10-plus point effort of his collegiate career. The New York, N.Y., product notched 12 points, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Middleton's first-year teammates Eli Bryant and Jonathan Patron each finished with 11 points.
 
The Lakers got off to a hot start, quieting down the raucous Memorial Hall crowd by jumping out to an 11-3 lead, fueled by a hot shooting start from Kyle Covley. The senior nailed two triples in the first four minutes of action.
 
Plattsburgh State would respond with a 10-2 run, tying the game up at 13 apiece as things neared six minutes into the contest. Jonathan Patron had the touch from long range going as he sank back-to-back three-pointers.
 
Patron continued to produce for the Cardinals, converting on an old-fashioned three-point play with 12:24 left in the first half, giving Plattsburgh State its first lead of the night at 18-15. That, however would be the last time the Huntington, N.Y., product put points on the board.
 
The Cardinals' lead grew to 24-19 after Bryant drained a step back triple. The home team would remain on top for the next two minutes of play.
 
Plattsburgh State had trouble finishing in the paint in the first half, mostly due to Oswego State's Mykelle Krecko. The 6-10 transfer junior had an eye-popping six rejections in just the opening stanza.
 
Having made a whopping 18 three-pointers just two weeks ago inside Memorial Hall, the Lakers stayed hot from long range on Friday night, hitting 7-of-15 attempts in the first half. Three different Lakers had two each, while Demetrius Mitchell made his only attempt of the half.
 
The Lakers took a chunk of the momentum heading into halftime by getting a pair of triples from Dustin Pond and Sortino to erase a three-point deficit and gain a three-point advantage. Oswego State would end up leading by just two at the break, 39-37.
 
Much like they had to start the game, the Lakers got off to a great shooting start at the beginning of the second half, extending their lead to seven after an Alex Rawa three.
 
Things looked grim when Patron landed awkwardly after a missed floater while driving towards the hoop in transition. Patron was helped off the court and did not return the rest of the game.
 
Richardson however took it upon himself to jump start another Cardinal comeback, driving to the hoop for a pair of layups. Just prior to four minutes into the second, a beautiful Chris Middleton layup and free throw was overshadowed by Plattsburgh State's bench receiving a technical foul. Despite Sortino missing one of the two free throws, the Lakers kept a two-possession advantage.
 
Memorial Hall got as loud as it's been all season after an Xavier Thomas put back dunk following a missed Bryant jumper, cutting the deficit to 52-50. Plattsburgh State followed that up with a three from Middleton, giving the crowd much to be excited about as the Cardinals took the lead back, 53-52.
 
The Lakers, though never struggled in answering back, as a Rawa three and layup from Pond put them right back in front by four.
 
Sortino would take over the game over the game final six minutes, as he scored 11 points and got to the foul line on several occasions. Up 69-68 with just over four minutes left, Sortino sank one of his three treys on the evening. Kyle Covley would then find Keith Tyson underneath the hoop for an easy lay in the give the Lakers a six-point advantage with 3:17 left.
 
Richardson brought the Cardinals to within three points with a triple with exactly three minutes remaining, but Sortino would account for all of Oswego State's final six points. Following a stretch of two minutes without a basket, Sortino broke the ice with a layup to give the Lakers a 76-71 lead with 1:02 left.
 
The Cardinals were unable to score on their ensuing possession, and from then on, Sortino made five of six free throw attempts to secure the win for the No. 4 seeded Lakers.
 
Oswego State moves on to the SUNYAC title game for the second straight season. Saturday at 4 p.m., the Lakers will take on No. 2 seeded SUNY Cortland, the only SUNYAC team they have yet to beat this season. The Red Dragons slipped by No. 3 seeded Brockport by an 80-78 score in the first semifinal game on Friday night.
 
For the Cardinals, they now turn to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee and hope that their 21-5 record is enough to earn them an at-large bid into the tournament. The selection show is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, and will air live on NCAA.com.