Men's Basketball Drops Shootout At Plattsburgh State

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - The Elms College men's basketball team fell to host Plattsburgh State University, 126-101, in the 2016 Cardinal Classic at Memorial Hall Friday night. Elms drops to 0-2 overall, while the Cardinals rise to 2-0 on the year.

Plattsburgh State torched the nets, hitting 50 percent (46-of-92) of its shots from the floor, including a 45.5 percent (15-of-33) mark from distance. The Cardinals also won the rebounding battle, 66-36. Elms shot 45.6 percent (36-of-79) from the field, including a 40 percent (14-of-35) clip from long range.
 
The Cardinals looked to be in control early, opening up a 13-point lead (25-12) with 13:46 to go in the first half. The Blazers chipped away at the deficit over the course of a 25-11 run, and freshman guard/forward DeAngelo Cousar gave Elms its first lead of the game (37-36) with 7:14 remaining in the opening stanza. The two teams traded points until Plattsburgh State used a 9-4 scoring spree to close the half, giving the Cardinals a 53-48 edge heading into the locker rooms.
 
Elms challenged Plattsburgh State early in the second half, going on a 6-2 spurt to pull within one point off a made jumper by senior guard/forward Conny Iherahu. The Cardinals began to get the crowd involved over the course of a game-changing 26-6 run, and a 3-pointer by junior guard Eric Mack (Roosevelt, N.Y./Baldwin) handed the home team an 81-60 advantage and forced an Elms timeout with 10:53 left to play in regulation. Plattsburgh State swelled its cushion as high as 32 points down the stretch, which came off a layup by junior forward Majestic Grigg (New York, N.Y./KIPP NYC) with 2:23 left in the contest.
 
Junior guard Eli Bryant (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides School) keyed the Cardinal attack with a career-high 27 points off 10-of-19 shooting from the floor and 4-of-5 shooting from the line. Sophomore forward Jonathan Patron (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) and Mack each finished with double-doubles, with Patron tallying 20 points and 10 rebounds and Mack compiling 18 points and 12 boards. Mack achieved his totals in 21 minutes coming off the bench, and he added four assists, three blocks and a steal. Sophomore guard Brandon Johnson (Greenburgh, N.Y./Woodlands) also came up big in reserve duty, netting a career-high 21 points, while sophomore guard/forward Chris Middleton (New York, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) fell a rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
For Elms, senior guard Symon Smith knocked down nearly every shot he took, scoring a career-high 30 points off 10-of-13 shooting from the floor, including a perfect 6-of-6 mark from beyond the arc. Ihearahu poured in 19 points, while Cousar and freshman guard/forward Spencer Douglas added 12 points apiece coming off the bench.

Plattsburgh State closes out its Cardinal Classic slate on Sunday, Nov. 20, with a 5:30 p.m. game against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Elms finishes out its Cardinal Classic schedule tomorrow at 3 p.m. against RPI.

Source: (Plattsburgh State Athletics)