PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team dropped a high-energy game to State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) foe Buffalo State Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall, as the Cardinals fell by a score of 110-93.
 
Turnovers wound up being the major difference in the game. Despite shooting 50 percent (31-of-62) from the floor on the afternoon, the Cardinals committed 26 turnovers, which Buffalo State turned into 45 points. The Bengals held a 44-39 edge in rebounds while shooting 47.5 percent (38-of-80) from the field. The two teams combined for 63 free-throw attempts, with Buffalo State shooting 65.7 percent (23-of-35) from the line and Plattsburgh State going 75 percent (21-of-28) from the charity stripe.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 6-6 overall (2-4 SUNYAC) with the loss and will look to bounce back on Friday, Jan. 13, when it hosts Oswego State at 5:30 p.m. Buffalo State rises to 9-3 overall (3-3 SUNYAC) with the win and will host The College at Brockport next on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 5:30 p.m.
 
The two teams traded momentum in the early goings of the contest before Buffalo State netted seven unanswered points to take an 18-10 lead. Plattsburgh State stormed back, and a 3-pointer by freshman guard Nick DeAngelis (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) made it a two-point game. The Bengals led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but the Cardinals showed resilience going on a 16-3 surge, and a layup by junior guard Eli Bryant (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides School) handed Plattsburgh State a 41-39 advantage with 6:26 to go before halftime. The Cardinals led by seven points on two occasions down the stretch in the first half, and a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Brandon Johnson (Greenburgh, N.Y./Woodlands) just before the halftime buzzer staked the home team to a 55-49 cushion at the intermission.
 
Sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) and junior guard Zack Coleman (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) both scored to open the second half, but Buffalo State assembled an 18-2 scoring spree to open up a six-point lead. From that point forward, Plattsburgh State never led, though the Cardinals did pull within one point of the Bengals twice. Buffalo State continued to score at will in the waning moments of the game, with a 3-pointer by senior guard Jordan Glover with 1:13 left in regulation giving the visitors their largest lead of the contest (18).
 
Patron led five Cardinals in double figures with 16 points, and he added five rebounds. Sophomore guard/forward Chris Middleton (New York, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) netted 15 points, while DeAngelis poured in 13 in 18 minutes coming off the bench. Sophomore forward Ian Howard (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens) and Bryant registered 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Senior guard Lovell Smith led Buffalo State with 24 points, while senior guard Nico McLean added 18 off the bench. Glover scored 17 points, while junior guard/forward J.O. Spence notched 13 in reserve action. Sophomore guard Dom Grayer also reached double figures with 11 points. McLean fell just shy of a double-double with nine rebounds.