PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Junior guard Travis Cox (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglass Academy) posted a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double and senior guard Nick DeAngelis (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) recorded a career-high 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, as the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team defeated non-conference Clarkson University, 71-65, in its first game of the 2020 portion of its schedule on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall.
 
Plattsburgh State capped off a modest 5-0 run late in the second half with a DeAngelis free throw, as the Cardinals seized a 67-55 lead with 4:29 remaining in regulation. Clarkson scored on back-to-back possessions with a 3-pointer by senior guard Barryn Shark and a layup by sophomore forward Reese Swedberg to draw within 67-60, but DeAngelis cashed in on a layup to extend the Cardinal advantage to nine.
 
Clarkson's freshman guard Blake Gearhart countered with five unanswered points, burying a 3-pointer with 1:36 to go to make it a four-point game. The Golden Knights came up with defensive stops but were unable to find twine on three 3-point field-goal attempts, and DeAngelis grabbed a defensive rebound with 18 seconds left, forcing Clarkson to foul him in the backcourt. DeAngelis knocked down both free throws, and the Golden Knights misfired on two more 3-point shots to seal the 71-65 victory for Plattsburgh State.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 4-4 overall with the win and extends its NCAA Division III-leading home winning streak to 29. The Cardinals' last loss in Memorial Hall came on Nov. 18, 2017, against Keene State. Plattsburgh State closes out its regular-season non-conference schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 7:30 p.m. Clarkson falls to 3-7 overall with the loss and visits Bard College next on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
 
The two teams battled in the early stages of the contest, and four straight points staked Clarkson to a 19-14 lead. DeAngelis banged in a 3-pointer during the Cardinals' next trip down the floor, and an old-fashioned 3-point play by freshman guard Axel Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./New Paltz) two minutes later pinned Plattsburgh State to a 20-19 advantage. Both teams traded points until a 6-0 Plattsburgh State spurt, which ended with a pair of made free throws by Cox, gave the Cardinals a 34-30 lead. Senior guard Matt Higgins drilled a 3-pointer on Clarkson's final offensive possession of the half, but DeAngelis beat the buzzer with a trey from the left corner, relying on a pass from senior forward Adam Jaquish (Moriah, N.Y./Moriah) to hand Plattsburgh State a 37-33 advantage at the intermission.
 
Freshman center Cameron Ness (Clintondale, N.Y./Highland) and Cox contributed to a 6-0 Cardinal run to open the second half, and Plattsburgh State constructed a double-digit lead that it held for most of the half. The Cardinals led by as many as 15 points on four occasions, the last of which came on a DeAngelis 3-pointer with 12:18 left in the second half.
 
Plattsburgh State shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the floor and 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from the free throw line for the contest, and the Cardinals finished with a 46-33 edge in rebounds. Clarkson did, however, force Plattsburgh State into 21 turnovers and dished out assists on 15 of its 27 made field goals.
 
Beyond Cox and DeAngelis, senior guard/forward Jeremy Eisenman (New York, N.Y./NEST+m) pulled down a career-high nine rebounds, while freshman forward Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) grabbed eight boards. Of Cox's 26 points, 18 came during the first half.
 
For Clarkson, Gearhart, Swedberg and Higgins led the way offensively with 13, 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Shark distributed eight assists and came up with three steals.