The St. Lawrence University men's basketball team weathered a late charge from a pesky Plattsburgh State squad, winning over the Cardinals in overtime 87-79 in the Saints' return to Burkman Gymnasium.

St. Lawrence needed a composed overtime surge, powered by successful trips to the foul line, to get past Plattsburgh State and improve to 3-1 overall on the season. They shot 86.1 per cent from the charity stripe with a large sample size, going 31-36 over the evening. The Cardinals stuck with St. Lawrence for the entirety of the game, with neither team holding a double-digit lead over the contest. The Cardinals forced OT with a buzzer-beating three-pointer. 

Plattsburgh opened the game with energy, scoring the first six points behind Irwayne Connell Jr.'s early drives. The Saints settled their offense when Dan Anderson sliced in for a layup, and Dudzinski followed with a pair of finishes inside and three early free throws.

With both teams trading baskets, St. Lawrence took its first lead at 15-14 on a transition layup from Dudzinski. The Saints' lead then extended as high as nine via the three-ball, with back-to-back buckets from beyond the arc from Dudzinski and Tommy McMahon extending the advantage.

However, Plattsburgh clawed back as Aidan McGuire and Jaiden Gladney generated second-chance looks, cutting the deficit to 33-31. St. Lawrence steadied itself late in the half behind points from Chris Downs Jr. and Aidan Phelan to go up 37-33 into the break.



The second half was the same story, with St. Lawrence struggling to gain more than a one-possession advantage as the Cardinals proved to be stingy. Connell opened the second half with a quick layup, but St. Lawrence countered when Suriano connected from deep and Anderson pushed the lead back to five with a three of his own. The Cardinals responded with a 10-4 run to keep the game close.

Late in the half, Dudzinski knocked down four straight free throws to push SLU ahead 71-68 entering the final minute, but Morris answered with two clutch shots at the stripe. After Connor Parkes made it 73-70 and Plattsburgh called a timeout with six seconds left, Morris found an opening from the left corner drilled a contested three at the buzzer to force overtime.

Overtime belonged to the Saints, as they posted all 14 of their points from the free throw line. They outscored the Cardinals 14-6 in the extra frame to seal the victory and improve to 2-0 at Burkman.

Four Saints posted double-digit points, with Dudzinski leading the way at 19 and 10 rebounds for a double-double – his second of the season. Anderson put up 16 and went 3-8 from three-point range. First-years Phelan and Parkes had 11 and 10 respectively off the bench.

The Saints now enter tournament season, as they get set to take part in the Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout beginning Friday, November 21. They play host Nazareth and St. John Fisher.