Potsdam, NY – Six players finished in double figures, led by senior Liam Ellis's 25, but the Clarkson University Men's Basketball team could not overcome three players with 20-plus points for Plattsburgh State as the Golden Knights dropped their season opener to the 14th-ranked Cardinals 105-95 Tuesday night at Alumni Gymnasium.

The Golden Knights fell to 0-1 on the season and will head to Massachusetts this weekend for a pair of games at the Westfield State Tournament.

Clarkson was not shy from the 3-point arc, making 16 3-pointers on 40 attempts, 20 coming in each half. Six different players hit at least one 3-pointer in the game for the Knights.

Both teams struggled at the start with turnovers but once the nerves were shook neither team seemed to have much trouble pouring in points. After a 3-pointer from Jason Phelps made it 11-9, the Cardinals went on a 12-4 run in the next 2:35, capped off by a dunk from Brandon Johnson. The Cardinals extended the lead to 13 points at the 7:51 mark, but the Knights found a groove on offense and rattled off 18 points in just six minutes, pulling the Green and Gold to within four (40-36) after back-to-back 3-pointers from Ellis and Phelps. The Cardinals responded with a 3-pointer and another fastbreak dunk for Johnson to close out the half (45-36).

The nine-point margin expanded slightly at the start of the second half, but a Roburt Welch 3-pointer and a jumper from Chris Hulbert drew the Knights to within four (62-58) with 11:12 remaining. That would be as close as Clarkson would get, however, as Plattsburgh took advantage of Clarkson's early second-half foul trouble with plenty of free throw opportunities. Nick DeAngelis hit a 3-pointer at 6:51 and a pair of free throws from Ian Howard at 6:19 gave Plattsburgh an 18-point lead, an advantage the Cardinals would eventually extend to 20 just a minute later. However, there would be no blowout, as Clarkson kept on hitting shots and made its way back to a 14-point deficit with 2:30 to go. Ellis hit a layup at 1:24 to get the Knights to within eight (96-88). Though Clarkson's need to foul was effective in getting the Knights back to striking distance, the team's top two scorers from a year ago (Ellis and Matt Higgins) fouled out, allowing the Cardinals to settle for a 10-point win despite the late run.

Ellis finished with 25 points, shooting 9-for-10 from the floor, and added six assists and six rebounds. Matthew Hornak tossed in 16 points and freshman Chris Hulbert came off the bench to score 17 points in 19 minutes. Welch also contributed 12 points while Higgins and Phelps each scored 10. Reese Swedberg also grabbed nine boards for Clarkson.

For Plattsburgh State, Johnson finished with 28 points and five assists while Jonathan Patron scored 27 points to go along with nine boards. DeAngelis came off the bench to score 23 points and Ian Howard added 10 rebounds and six points.