CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team was unable to overcome a 41-32 halftime deficit in an 80-59 loss to SUNY Cortland in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action on Friday evening at Corey Gymnasium.
 
Ball control wound up being one of the biggest factors in the game, as the Red Dragons forced the Cardinals into 16 turnovers and scored 17 points off those giveaways while committing just six turnovers themselves. Cortland shot 47.7 percent (31-of-65) from the floor and scored 36 points in the paint, while Plattsburgh State outrebounded Cortland, 36-29.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 10-10 overall (6-8 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits Oswego State tomorrow at 2 p.m. Cortland rises to 14-6 overall (9-4 SUNYAC) with the win and next hosts SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 2 p.m.
 
The lead changed hands four times in the opening four minutes of play before Cortland went on a 9-2 run and took a 23-14 lead it would not relinquish the rest of the game. The Cardinals countered with seven unanswered points, and a 3-pointer by junior guard Eli Bryant (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides School) cut the deficit to two (23-21) midway through the period. Cortland regained momentum on the strength of a 9-2 surge and led by as many as 12 points late in the period before taking a 41-32 lead into the locker rooms.
 
The two teams battled back and forth early in the second half, with the Red Dragons eventually ballooning their advantage to 57-42. Plattsburgh State retaliated with seven unanswered points, the last five of which came from sophomore forward Isaiah Hill (Brooklyn, N.Y./HS for Dual Language and Asian Studies), to trim the gap to single digits midway through the stanza. The Cardinals were never able to put together a run down the stretch, as Cortland led by as many as 22 points in the latter stages of the game.
 
Bryant and sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) led the Plattsburgh State offense with 20 and 19 points, respectively, while Hill poured in 11 points coming off the bench. Sophomore guard/forward Chris Middleton (New York, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, while sophomore forward Ian Howard (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens) distributed five assists.
 
For Cortland, sophomore guard Justin Cooper and sophomore forward Zach Lydon led the way with 23 and 17 points, respectively. Cooper ended up stuffing the box score with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals to go along with his point total.