POTSDAM, N.Y. – Head coach Tom Curle notched his 500th career win as a college coach, as the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team downed non-conference Clarkson University, 84-68, in the season opener for both teams at Alumni Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
 
Curle now boasts a 500-300 record across a head coaching career that spans 29 seasons. He has accumulated that mark during his time at Alfred State (NJCAA; 1988-97), Post University (NCAA Division II; 1997-2002), SUNYIT (NCAA Division III; 2002-03) and Plattsburgh State (NCAA Division III; 2003-present).
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 1-0 with the win and hosts Elms College to open up the Cardinal Classic on Friday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. Clarkson drops to 0-1 with the loss and hosts St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) College to open up the North Country Invitational on Friday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m.
 
The two teams were even in the early goings, with eight lead changes and five tied scores in the first 10 minutes of action. Plattsburgh State surged ahead with six unanswered points, and a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) handed the Cardinals a 24-18 lead. While Plattsburgh State ended up breaking open a 14-point lead off a made layup by freshman forward Adam Jaquish (Moriah, N.Y./Moriah), the Golden Knights' sophomore guard Liam Ellis knocked down a pair of free throws to keep the margin at 12 (37-25) heading into the intermission.
 
The Cardinal attack switched gears in the second half, which began with six points in the first 1:13 of play in the period. Clarkson battled back to whittle the deficit to 10 midway through the stanza, but a 10-0 Plattsburgh State spurt put the game in hand for the Cardinals, with junior guard Eli Bryant (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides School) nailing a jumper to give the Cardinals a 65-45 advantage. Plattsburgh State led by as many as 26 points, though Clarkson did end the game on a 12-3 run to spell the final score of 84-68.
 
Plattsburgh State benefited from 43.3 percent (29-of-67) shooting from the floor on the game, including a 42.3 percent (11-of-26) mark from beyond the arc. The Cardinal perimeter defense held the Golden Knights in check, as the home team shot just 17.2 percent (5-of-29) from distance. Clarkson shot 37.1 percent (23-of-62) overall from the field. Plattsburgh State finished with a 45-40 edge in rebounds and scored 27 points off 23 Clarkson turnovers.
 
Patron, the reigning State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Rookie of the Year, poured in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 shooting from the line in 22 minutes coming off the bench, while sophomore guard/forward Chris Middleton (New York, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) and Bryant provided 13 and 12 points, respectively. Bryant kept the offense moving with four assists and also made an impact on the defensive end with four steals.
 
For Clarkson, senior forward Derek Hart scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from the line, while senior forward Drew Zlogar posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.