PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team put up a strong offensive display Tuesday evening, defeating North Country rival SUNY Potsdam, 113-100, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action at Memorial Hall.
 
Six Cardinals reached double figures. Junior guard Eli Bryant (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides School) led the way with 23 points, which included a 6-of-8 mark from distance, and eight assists. Sophomore guard/forward Chris Middleton (New York, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) and sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) netted 21 and 19 points, respectively, while sophomore forward Isaiah Hill (Brooklyn, N.Y./HS for Dual Language and Asian Studies) and sophomore guard Brandon Johnson (Greenburgh, N.Y./Woodlands) poured in 15 and 13 points, respectively, off the bench. Middleton and Hill both achieved career highs with their totals. Sophomore forward Ian Howard (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens) posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
 
For Potsdam, sophomore guard Nosa Onabor tallied a game-high 32 points, while freshman guard Jayquan Thomas and freshman guard Danny Delsol-Lowry added 17 and 15, respectively, in reserve duty. Sophomore forward/guard Dante Langley chipped in 11 points coming off the bench.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 8-9 overall (4-7 SUNYAC) with the win and hosts SUNY Oneonta next on Friday, Jan. 27, at 5:30 p.m. in what will be a homecoming for Oneonta's first-year head coach Cameron Conover. Conover most recently served on Plattsburgh State head coach Tom Curle's staff for 11 years, spending the final eight years of his tenure as the associate head coach. Potsdam falls to 1-16 overall (0-11 SUNYAC) with the loss and hosts SUNY New Paltz next on Friday, Jan. 27, at 5:30 p.m.
 
The Cardinals set the pace early, taking a 31-11 lead following a 3-pointer by Patron with 12:51 left before halftime. The two teams battled back and forth before Potsdam closed the half on a 12-3 run, and a four-point play by freshman guard Jayquan Thomas with 31 seconds left in the period cut the gap to 62-53 heading into the locker rooms.
 
After Howard kicked off the second half with a put-back basket, the Bears scored six unanswered points to pull within five. Potsdam stayed within striking distance until Plattsburgh State fired off six straight points midway through the period, and a layup by Johnson opened up an 87-77 edge for the Cardinals. Plattsburgh State kept the margin at double digits for the majority of the latter stages of the second half and led by as many as 15 points in the period.
 
The Cardinals shot 50.6 percent (41-of-81) from the floor on the game, including a 51.6 percent (16-of-31) mark from 3-point distance. Plattsburgh State also shot 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the line and finished with a slight 37-36 edge in rebounds. Potsdam, meanwhile, shot 51.5 percent (34-of-66) from the field and 88.5 percent (23-of-26) from the charity stripe.