PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team was unable to push past a Fredonia team that shot 61.5 percent (32-of-52) from the floor on Friday night, as the Blue Devils emerged from Memorial Hall with an 86-83 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory over the Cardinals.
 
Both sides battled back and forth down the stretch, exchanging the lead four times. Plattsburgh State's high-water mark of that span came following a layup by sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) that gave the Cardinals an 83-82 cushion with 1:40 remaining, prompting a full timeout by Fredonia. Out of the timeout, the Blue Devils received a layup by junior forward Ian Helps to reclaim the lead, which they would not relinquish the rest of the contest.
 
Junior guard Keith Ruiz forced a turnover with seven seconds left and knocked down both free-throw attempts after getting fouled, handing the Blue Devils a three-point edge. The Cardinals misfired on a 3-pointer in the final seconds, only to see the ball bounce off a Fredonia defender out of bounds with 0.4 seconds remaining. Plattsburgh State drew up a play to get the ball to a shooter in the left corner, and while it got a shot off before the buzzer, the attempt fell just short of the rim.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 6-5 overall (2-3 SUNYAC) with the loss and faces off with Buffalo State tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Fredonia rises to 5-7 overall (2-3 SUNYAC) with the victory and visits SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 2 p.m.
 
Fredonia dictated the tempo early, jumping out to leads of 10-6 and 15-11. Plattsburgh State retaliated with a 9-0 run, and a 3-pointer by junior guard Eli Bryant (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides School) handed the Cardinals a 20-15 cushion. Bryant hit another 3-pointer minutes later to give Plattsburgh State a 26-19 lead, its largest of the night, before the Blue Devils outscored the Cardinals, 21-11, the rest of the period to enter the locker rooms with a 40-37 advantage.
 
Fredonia appeared to have all the momentum in its favor midway through the second half, as a 3-pointer by junior forward Justin Tapper handed the Blue Devils a 64-55 lead with 12:10 to go. The two teams traded baskets before Plattsburgh State scored 10 unanswered points, and a put-back basket by junior guard Eric Mack (Roosevelt, N.Y./Baldwin) gave the Cardinals a 68-66 advantage. While that lead swelled to four with a 3-pointer by freshman guard Nick DeAngelis (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) following a Fredonia free throw, the Blue Devils netted eight straight to stake themselves to a 75-71 cushion.
 
In addition to its stellar mark from the floor, Fredonia shot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from beyond the arc and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the foul line. The Cardinals did, however, finish with a 31-29 edge in rebounds, and they scored 27 points off 22 Blue Devil turnovers.
 
Bryant paced the Cardinal attack with 21 points, while Patron and DeAngelis scored 17 and 12 points, respectively, coming off the bench. Sophomore forward Ian Howard (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens) notched team-high totals in rebounds (8) and steals (4), while Patron doled out four assists.
 
Five Blue Devils reached double figures, led by senior guard Kareem Brown's 18 points. Junior guard Nicc Johnson drained 15 points coming off the bench, while sophomore guard Brandon Hodge and Helps chipped in with 13 points apiece. Senior guard Richard De La Cruz added 10 to Fredonia's cause.