BROCKPORT, N.Y. - In a battle of the top State University of New York Athletic Conference teams, The College at Brockport men's basketball team's comeback came up just short against league leading SUNY Plattsburgh, as the Golden Eagles fell 76-72.

Brockport moves to 15-9 on the year and 10-7 in league play while the Cardinals improve to 20-4 on the season and 15-2 in league play.

Clifton Lyerly turned in 20 points for the Green and Gold, with Olusola Adeniran the only other Golden Eagle to reach double figures with 11 points to go with two blocks. Hamed Shamseldin netted eight points, dished out four assists and snagged two steals in the outing, with Devonn Gavin and Levi Pace each chipping in six apiece.

As a team, Brockport shot 44.4 percent (32-of-72) from the field, and only took five shots from the charity stipe on the night. The Golden Eagles outmatched the Cardinals in the paint, with a count of 50-32 and forced 20 Plattsburgh turnovers.

After trailing the entirety of the second half, the Golden Eagles gave themselves an opportunity to win in the waning minutes of play. Brockport cut down a once double-digit Plattsburgh lead to just one after back-to-back Golden Eagle scores, including a Gavin trey and a Pace lay-in to make the count 70-69 with just over a minute to play.

Following a pair of converted Cardinal free throws, the Golden Eagles answered on the next possession with a Lyerly triple to even the score at 72-72 with 12 seconds remaining in the contest.

The Green and Gold defense forced a challenging Plattsburgh shot, but the Golden Eagles were unable to secure the rebound, and the Cardinals came up with the loose ball and the put-back to take a 74-72 advantage with two seconds on the clock.

With a full court pass serving as the Golden Eagle's last hope, the long ball fell into the hand of the Cardinals, and after a Brockport foul and Plattsburgh free throws, the final score stood at 76-72.

In the first half of action an energetic Golden Eagles team took the floor, easily keeping pace with the No. 1 Cardinal team. Adeniran opened the scoring for Brockport, with three straight buckets, including an electrifying dunk to post a 7-6 lead at the 17:14 mark.

Just two minutes later the Golden Eagles turned a Cardinals turnover into a break away slam from David Clark, who pushed the Green and Gold to a 13-10 lead. By the 13:08 mark, Brockport reached its largest lead after a Pace layup and a Shamseldin weave through the lane, at 17-13. That lead would be the last the Golden Eagles would see however, as Plattsburgh charged back to take the advantage. With 3:38 to play, Brockport saw their deficit grow to double digits, a distance the Cardinals would keep by the halftime break, at 46-36.

The Golden Eagles will be back in action tomorrow, Feb. 20 when they host SUNY Potsdam. The game will also serves as senior day, as Brockport's three seniors, Patrick Modzelewski, Ismael Pierre and Adeniran, will be honored in a ceremony held prior to the contest.

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