Senior Jehrod Hall (Syracuse/North Country CC) and sophomore Brandon Siskavich (Peru/Peru) contributed 10 points apiece for Potsdam. Sophomore Brendan Graney (Ticonderoga/Ticonderoga) chipped in with nine points and six rebounds.
At one time, the Bears (8-12, 5-6) were down by 26, but they used runs of 8-0 and 10-0 in the second to trim the deficit to four points. However, SUNYIT (13-8. 7-5) had success breaking Potsdam’s full-court press and made its foul shots to put the game out of reach.
While both teams shot 50 percent from the field – Potsdam was 33-for-66 while SUNYIT went 31-for-62 – the free throw line proved to be a deciding factor. The Wildcats were 20-for-25 (80 percent) from the stripe while the Bears went 3-for-5 (60 points). Brown was Potsdam’s only free throw shooter.
SUNYIT senior Chris Reaves (Syracuse/Herkimer CC) led a quintet of Wildcat scorers in double-figures. He had 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Fellow senior Chris LaBoard (Bronx/Mohawk Valley CC) added 15 points while two other seniors, Elvis Belone (Queens/Mohawk Valley CC) and Chris Plante (Whitesboro/Whitesboro), scored 12 and 11 points, respectively. Sophomore Ajani Edwards (Brooklyn/Brooklyn Tech) also had 12 points.
Potsdam will resume its SUNYAC schedule this weekend on the road. It will take on Brockport (Friday, 8 p.m.) and Geneseo (Saturday, 4 p.m.).