NEW PALTZ, NY — Senior guard Curtis Smith (Brooklyn, NY) led five Plattsburgh players in double figures with 15 points to help the Cardinals to an 87-68 win over SUNY New Paltz this afternoon.
A 20-10 run by Plattsburgh in the first 7:30 of the second half extended a Cardinal 39-32 halftime-lead to 59-42. Plattsburgh, who suffered its first conference defeat last night in a loss at Oneonta, led by as many as 21 in the second half. The Cardinals shot .548 for the game (37-of-67) and were 6-of-14 from three-point range.
In addition to Smith, senior forward Johnnie Carter (Brooklyn, NY) finished with 14 points. Junior forward Kris Gibbs-Smith (Rochester, NY) came off the bench to score 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
In a first half that featured 10 ties and four lead changes, Plattsburgh closed the first half on an 8-1 run to take a 39-32 lead at the intermission. Smith had four the Cardinals (8-4, 4-1) eight points during that run. SUNY New Paltz led by as many as five on three occasions in the first half. The final five-point Hawk advantage came with 10 minutes left in the first half when senior forward Chris Allen (Brooklyn, NY) scored inside.
The Hawks (5-7, 1-4) had four players score in double figures. Sophomore guard Matt Irwin (Brooklyn, NY) led the way with 17 points. Sophomore Amseshem Foluke Henderson (Jamaica, NY) added 16 points and junior guard Maurice Douglas (Brooklyn, NY) finished with 13 points. Sophomore guard Tony Cannon (New York, NY) also finished in double figures with 10 points.
