PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Despite shooting 83.8 percent (31-of-37) from the free-throw line, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team fell, 94-88, to The College at Brockport on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action. It marked the Cardinals' final game of the 2016 calendar year.
 
The Cardinals battled the Golden Eagles throughout the waning minutes of the contest, as Brockport took a five-point lead with 5:54 remaining in regulation before Plattsburgh State went on a 9-4 tear and tied the score at 86-all following two free throws by junior guard Eric Mack (Roosevelt, N.Y./Baldwin) with 3:40 left. Brockport proceeded to score six straight points as a result of several key defensive stops, and senior forward Clifton Lyerly scored with 22 seconds left to break open a 92-86 Brockport advantage.
 
Mack tipped in a missed 3-pointer with seven seconds to go to make it a four-point game, but Brockport ensured the victory after senior guard Devonn Gavin sank two free throws.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 6-3 overall (2-2 SUNYAC) with the loss and will have to wait until the new year to get back into the win column, as it next visits Trinity (Conn.) College on Monday, Jan. 2, at 5 p.m. Brockport rises to 8-1 overall (4-0 SUNYAC) and strengthens its SUNYAC lead with the win. The Golden Eagles next visit Carnegie Mellon University on Monday, Jan. 2, at 3 p.m.
 
Neither team was able to get much separation in the early goings of the game until a pair of free throws by freshman guard Nick DeAngelis (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) capped 13-4 spurt to stake the Cardinals to a 38-28 advantage with 4:38 to go before halftime. Plattsburgh State led by 10 once more down the stretch in the first half before Brockport ended the period on a 10-5 run to close the gap to 47-42 heading into the locker rooms.
 
Six unanswered points to open the second half netted the Golden Eagles a 49-47 lead, and it was a back-and-forth affair until Plattsburgh State drained seven straight points midway through the stanza. Sophomore guard/forward Chris Middleton (New York, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) cashed in on a layup with 8:38 to go to hand the home team a 77-73 cushion. Brockport answered with a 9-0 run, and Plattsburgh State never led from that point forward.
 
The Cardinals finished with a 50-41 edge in rebounds, but the difference in the contest was ball control. Brockport committed 11 turnovers to Plattsburgh State's 21, and the Golden Eagles scored 21 points off giveaways in the contest. Plattsburgh State shot 37.1 percent (26-of-70) from the floor, while Brockport knocked down 41.6 percent (32-of-77) of its shots from the field.
 
Mack enjoyed his second 20-point game in three contests, burying 24 in 30 minutes coming off the bench. Middleton and sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) netted 16 and 13 points, respectively, while junior guard Eli Bryant (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides School) handed out six assists.
 
For Brockport, Lyerly scored a game-high 28 points, while junior guard Hamed Shamseldin, freshman forward Justin Summers and senior guard Cordell Torres chipped in with 24, 22 and 12 points, respectively. Summers' total came in 26 minutes of reserve action. Shamseldin doled out seven assists to keep the Golden Eagle offense running.