MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team concluded a six-game road trip on Wednesday night as they fell to No. 12 Middlebury College, 78-59 in non-conference play. The Cardinals forced several turnovers, scoring 22 points off the Panther's mistakes, but Middlebury dominated the interior against Plattsburgh, posting 22 second-chance points and out-rebounding the Cards 49-15.

Sheriff Conteh (Bronx, N.Y./Our Saviour Lutheran) was the Cardinals' leading scorer, posting 12 points while also adding four steals, matching a career-high he had hit twice last season. Willard Anderson Jr. (Buffalo, N.Y./East) added 10 points on just five shots, also coming up with three steals, while Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y./ East Rockaway) had eight points and five assists. The Panthers had two players register double-doubles, with Alex Sobel registering 16 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks, and four assists, while David Brennan had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Noah Osher was the game's leading scorer, as the junior guard had 21 points, knocking down four three-pointers. 

The Cards had their first games in which they shot under 40% from the field on Wednesday night, shooting 34% from the floor. The team was solid from distance, however, in the loss, making six of 15 threes (40%), but shot 15-25 (60%) from the line. The Cardinals forced 24 turnovers from Middlebury, turning that into 22 points, but the disparity on the glass made it tough for Plattsburgh to remain in the game. The Panthers shot 53% from the field, including 64% in the second half, outscoring the Cards 48-20 in the painted area. 

Plattsburgh State drop to 3-6 overall with the loss and still stand at 0-3 in conference play as they wrapped up their six-game road trip. The team will now open up State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) home action this weekend, as they host Cortland on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 44 p.m. and then Oswego St. on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. The No. 12 Middlebury Panthers rise to 6-1 with the victory and now will travel to Skidmore College on Friday, Dec. 9. 

The Cardinals were able to start the game off on the right foot, taking an early three-point lead as Anderson knocked down a three-pointer to begin play. The first nearly 10 minutes of play remained close between the two teams as Jalin Pitts (Palatka, Fla./ Peniel Baptist Academy) knocked down two free throw attempts to knot the score at 15 with 11:29 to go. The Panthers then opened up the game with a 10-0 to build a lead they would hold onto for the remainder of the contest. The run finally ended when Conteh knocked down a three to pull the game back within single digits, but Middlebury kept a multiple-possession lead throughout the remainder of the half. With the Panthers leading by 13 points with a couple of minutes left, an Anderson three and two Infante free throws brought the Cards within eight to make the deficit 37-29 heading into the halftime break. 

In the second half, Anderson once again had the first bucket of the half, picking off a pass and finished with a fast break jumper to pull his team within six points. A three-pointer by Osher then ignited a 17-2 run for Middlebury that effectively ended the game, with Plattsburgh being unable to pull within less than 17 points for the remainder of the game, as the Panthers outscored the Cards 41-30 in the half to win 78-59.