POTSDAM, N.Y.—Three Bears reached double-digits as the SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball team (5-17, 3-12 SUNYAC) ended a 12-game skid in a 67-54 victory over Plattsburgh (7-15, 5-10). Potsdam junior captain Curtis Pierce tied the game-high with 19 points, while junior guard Josh Lambert had a season-high 17, and sophomore captain Duquette added 10.

The Cardinals held the edge early in a slow offensive contest. Two free throws from sophomore forward Shavar Fields gave Plattsburgh a 12-8 lead at 11:20 of first half. However, a three from Bears senior guard Skip Schwartz, a jumper and free throw from Pierce put Potsdam back in front 14-12 at 9:04. Freshman forward Ezra Hodgson answered with a three of his own to give the Cardinals their last lead of the half. Pierce hit another layup at 2:05 to cap a 15-4 Bears run and Potsdam held a 27-19 advantage. A Fields jumper with 49 seconds left brought Plattsburgh to within 29-23 at the break.

The Cardinals chipped away at the lead and finally edged ahead 37-36 as senior guard Ketema Brooks completed a three-point play at 13:09. Two minutes later Brooks hit a three to finish an 8-0 Plattsburgh run. Hodgson hit a three at 10:09 to give the Cardinals a 45-38 lead, their biggest of the game. Lambert answered with a three to stop the slide and shift momentum back in the Bears’ favor. Pierce hit a three at the 6:39 mark to ignite an 18-0 Potsdam run. When the dust settled the Bears led 63-50 with two minutes remaining. Two free throws from Duquette and a final layup from Lambert put the game away.

Potsdam shot nearly 55 percent from the floor to Plattsburgh’s 45 and outrebounded the Cardinals 25-20. Fields finished with 19 and sophomore guard John Perez chipped in 10 for Plattsburgh.

“I was really proud of our effort,” said Bears Head Coach Sherry Dobbs. “We really played hard. You really have to hand it to our guys. They’ve had a lot of opportunities to pack it in and they have been nothing but tough for the last three weeks. Curtis Pierce and Josh Lambert played as well as I’ve seen them play.”

Dobbs also had plenty of praise for his supporting cast.

“I thought Corey Ellis, Chris Whispell, Wesley Francisco and Jake Klossner were the key for us to win the game,” added Dobbs. “They gave us unbelievably great minutes off the bench and great energy. They really did a super job.”

Potsdam looks to keep its playoff hopes alive at Oneonta, on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The Bears toppled the Red Dragons 72-68 in overtime at home on Dec. 6.