PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (4-8, 2-4 SUNYAC) overcame SUNY Plattsburgh (4-9, 0-6 SUNYAC) 86-82 to complete the season sweep of the Cardinals. Sophomore forward Parker Kelly (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) paced the Bears with 16 points while junior forward Ahamadou Sillah (Bronx, N.Y./Kipp NYC College Prep) and senior forward Brandon Segar Jr. (Jamaica, N.Y./Richmond Hill) both chipped in 14 points on the evening.

Early in the opening half, Kelly made the first of his four threes on the evening to put the Bears up 5-4 at 18:55. The following possession sophomore guard MeSean Johnson (Ogdensburg, N.Y./Ogdensburg Free Academy) stripped the ball loose and made his way up the court to find Kelly open for another trifecta. Potsdam leads the Cardinals 8-4. At 14:17, junior guard Colton Huestis (Ticonderoga, N.Y./Ticonderoga) capped off a 5-0 run for the Bears after sinking another three off an assist from Johnson. The Bears claimed their biggest lead of the evening at 10. About midway through the first half, Plattsburgh routed a 5-0 run of their own as the momentum began to shift back to the Cardinals. Junior guard Justin Blanchett nailed a three pointer and sank two quick free throws to trim the Bears lead to five with 10:36 remaining. The momentum however shifted back to the Bears as Sillah and Huestis connected on back-to-back threes to extend the Bears lead 31-23. Potsdam's defense continued to stifle the Cardinals as they forced three Plattsburgh turnovers in the final 10 minutes of the half to take a 45-36 advantage into the break.

Potsdam continued their hot shooting as the second half commenced. Sophomore guard Jeff Williamson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) made a three pointer twenty seconds into the half. Two minutes later, Johnson snaked his way through a sea of white jerseys to score a layup in the paint and keep the Bears lead at 10. With 11:46 remaining, Sillah located Segar open for a three pointer to give the Bears their largest lead of the night 60-48. Potsdam continued find the bottom of the net as the scoreboard showed Potsdam up 83-70 with four minutes to go in the half. It was at this point that the Bears went on a scoring drought and allowed the Cardinals to route a 10-2 run to put Plattsburgh within five with 1:18 remaining. Late in the final minute, Blanchett grabbed an offensive board for the Cardinals and tipped it back in for a quick two points to trim the Potsdam lead to one possession. After two missed free throw opportunities, the Bears made a huge defensive stop with eleven seconds to go in the game. This forced the Cardinals to foul junior guard Isaac Oduro Jr. (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) for a chance to put the game out of reach. Oduro missed the first but made the second free throw as Potsdam sealed the SUNYAC victory on the road.

Huestis scored 11 points for the Bears. Williamson and senior guard Reginald Smith Jr. (Chicago, Ill./Argo Community) netted nine and eight points, respectively to complete the scoring for Potsdam.

Blanchett led the Cardinals with a 28 point and 10 rebound double-double while Kevin Tabb scored 15 points and Erik Salo registered 12 points for Plattsburgh.

Kelly shot a perfect 4-4 from the three-point line tonight as the Bears shot an impressive 60% from the three as a team. Tonight, also marks Potsdam's sixth consecutive victory over the Cardinals.

The Bears will be back in action next Friday, January 13, when they tip-off at 7:30 p.m. against SUNY Fredonia in the first game of their Western N.Y. road stand.