POTSDAM, N.Y. – A hot-shooting first half for Potsdam helped the Bears take down the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team, as the Cardinals dropped their SUNYAC opener on the road, 74-63. The Bears led 41-29 at the break, and Plattsburgh could never work back from the 12-point halftime deficit, falling to Potsdam.
 
Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) was once again the leading scorer for the Cards, as the sophomore had 18 points and five boards for Plattsburgh State. Senior swingman Sheriff Conteh (Bronx, N.Y./Our Saviour Lutheran) had a strong game with 13 points, three blocks, and two steals, while Ladan Graves (Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) was very effective off the bench with 10 points and five rebounds. Brandon Segar Jr. had a monster game for the Bears, putting up a game-high 24 points while also pulling down 16 boards. He also added four steals and two blocks for Potsdam in the win. 
 
The first half saw the Bears come out firing, shooting 17-33 (51.5%) from the field and dominating in the paint. At the end of regulation, Potsdam had a clear advantage in the paint, scoring 48 of their 74 points in the painted area. The Bears also were able to take advantage of 19 Plattsburgh turnovers, producing 26 points off the Cardinal's mistakes. Plattsburgh ended up with a respectable 40% mark from the field over the game, but the turnovers and free throw discrepancy, seven Plattsburgh attempts against 22 Potsdam attempts, proved to be the difference.
 
Plattsburgh falls to 3-3 with the loss and will next play at Oneonta on Friday, Dec. 2. Potsdam rises to 3-4 and will head to New Paltz for a Friday night game on Dec. 2 as well. 
 
After the Cardinals scored the game's first two points off two Tabb free throws, the Bears pushed out a 20-7 run that the Cards could never fully recover from. Potsdam stretched their lead to as much as 14 in the remainder of the half, as Plattsburgh couldn't get closer than seven points for the final minutes of the first. 
 
In the second half, the play was much more even, as Plattsburgh would outscore the Bears 34-33, but struggled to pull within striking distance With Potsdam taking their biggest lead of the game at 49-32, a 10-2 run from Plattsburgh, capped by a Myles Jones (Alexandria, Va./Blue Ridge School) three-pointer. The Cardinals pulled even closer as a Graves layup put the Cards down 66-61, capping an 8-1 run at the 5:40 mark. Over the final five-plus minutes, however, Plattsburgh was only able to manage one more bucket, as the Bears worked around poor free throw shooting to close out Plattsburgh State.