Box Score Box Score

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – For the second straight year, SUNY Plattsburgh sent the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (11-14) home in the conference playoffs, as the Cardinals (17-9) triumphed by a 72-57 final over the Hawks in the quarterfinal round of the 2011 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Basketball Tournament on Tuesday evening at Memorial Hall.

In front of a 433-person crowd, the sixth-seeded Hawks showed no signs of intimidation out of the gates, sucking the life out of the gym for much of the first half. After the 14:22 mark in the first stanza, third-seeded Plattsburgh did not lead until it manufactured its comeback bid in the second period. Junior guard Jermain Wallace (Spring Valley, N.Y.) gave New Paltz its largest lead of the contest with 1:03 to go in the first, and after Shavar Fields cut the edge to five, junior guard Shereef Taylor (Hyde Park, N.Y.) pushed it back out to seven with an unassisted jumper with 10 seconds to go in the half. The Hawks led, 41-34, at the intermission.

Plattsburgh's Errol Daniyan scored the first points of the second half, but junior forward/center Daniel Olsen (Stafford Springs, Conn.) answered back to keep the New Paltz cushion at seven points. The Cardinals, however, went on an 11-0 run, and the Hawks struggled to keep pace and knock down their shots. A layup by sophomore guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y.) and a three-pointer by junior guard Matt Rooney (Northport, N.Y.) cut the deficit to eight with 7:20 left to play in regulation and put the blue and orange back in the game, but Plattsburgh stamped out the chance by dropping in six unanswered and coasted down the stretch.

The Hawks, shot 43.8 percent (14-of-32) from the floor in the first half, but they were done in by 21.4 percent (6-of-28) shooting in the final 20 minutes of play, which included a dismal 1-of-12 (8.3 percent) mark from long range. New Paltz took 14 trips to the line in the first half and shot 71.4 percent, but it gained just five free-throw opportunities in the second period, going 3-of-5 (60 percent). Plattsburgh, however, attempted just one foul shot in the first half but went to the line 19 times in the second stanza.

Junior guard Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y.) led the Hawks, scoring a team-high 18 points, which included a first-half total of 16. Taylor contributed 15 points. Wichard led the team in rebounding with eight boards, while Taylor had two assists.

For Plattsburgh, Chris Ruiz (23), Steve Thomas (21) and Errol Daniyan (13) all reached double figures in scoring. Ruiz completed the double-double with 10 boards, while Daniyan's line also included nine rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal.

New Paltz, which had finished the first half of conference play strong and appeared in prime position to host a quarterfinal-round playoff game, struggled down the stretch, ending its season on a seven-game skid. In spite of that, fourth-year head coach Dagan Nelson matched his career-best mark in the SUNYAC, posting a 7-11 record in league action. The Hawks achieved an 11-14 overall record.