The 13th-ranked Plattsburgh State Cardinals posted two double-digit runs in the second frame to top the St. Lawrence University men's basketball team 93-64 on Tuesday evening at Burkman Gymnasium.

With the loss, the Saints fell to 2-3 on the season, while Plattsburgh improved to 4-0.  

St. Lawrence was led by Ben Crawford with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Luke Hicks, Brandon Arnold and Dom DeRegis all totaled 10 points each and combined for eight rebounds. Crawford went 7-for-13 from the floor, while Arnold went 3-for-4 from the arc.

Plattsburgh jumped out to an early lead, but the score was quickly evened at 11 with a layup from Crawford. The Scarlet and Brown battled within four points late in the first half and remained close at the break, only trailing the nationally-ranked Cardinals by seven.

The Cardinals sealed their fourth-straight win of the season with two double-digit runs in the second half. An early 13-point run increased the Cardinals lead from 38-33 to 51-33 for an 18-point advantage and then Plattsburgh capitalized on a late 14-0 run down the stretch to improve its lead from 77-60 to 91-60 and seal the win.

"We played a decent first half, despite our turnovers," said head coach Chris Downs. "We came out the first possession and cut the lead to five, but when Plattsburgh responded, our older guys stopped competing and folded. We are going to need much more leadership and mental toughness if we hope to find success in the league. It was a very disappointing night."



The Cardinals were led by Brandon Johnson with 26 points, while Jonathan Patron recorded a double double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson shot 10-for-14 from the floor and 5-for-7 from the arc.

Plattsburgh produced great shooting throughout the game, going 51.5 percent from the floor and 46 percent from the arc, shooting 12-for-26 from 3-point range.

St. Lawrence will open Liberty League play this weekend, hosting Skidmore on Friday, November 30 and Rensselaer on Saturday, December 1.