PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - It was a big day in the life of Plattsburgh State men's basketball forward
Errol Daniyan: he turned 21, was named to the State University of New York Athletic Conference All-Tournament team and tied teammate
Steve Thomas with a game-high 10 rebounds during the No. 1-seeded Cardinals 67-60 victory over No. 2 Oneonta in the SUNYAC Championship game. It is the fourth time the Cardinals have won the tournament, which guarantees them an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Plattsburgh moves up to 21-7 for the season, while Oneonta drops to 22-6. The Red Dragons still hope to earn an at-large bid to the show, as they are ranked third in the East Region. Plattsburgh ranks second and St. John Fisher holds the top spot.
Steve Thomas was named the tournament MVP for his dominance on the hardwood during the final game. Thomas led both teams with 28 points, going 8-for-15 from the field and 12-for-17 from the free-throw line, and matched Daniyan in rebounds.
Chris Ruiz rounded out the all-tournament team honorees for the Cardinals. He led Plattsbrugh in it semifinal against Brockport with 20 points and 10 boards, and produced 23 points and pulled down eight boards against the Red Dragons.
For Oneonta, Brian Beckford (10 points, six rebounds), Shane Gillette (10p, 2r) and Troy Talbot (18p, 5r) earned all-tourney nods.
Having swept Oneonta during the regular season, Plattsburgh came out of the gate confident and quickly pulled ahead by 10 (15-5) with 15:31 to go in the first half. The Red Dragons spent the next minute and 22 seconds going on a scoring rampage and tied the game at 15 after sinking 10 unanswered points. Beckford topped the run off with a commanding dunk and Talbot put the visiting team ahead with a layup following a shot by Ruiz that was blocked and rebounded by Beckford.
Oneonta would hold on to the lead entering halftime (37-30) and for the majority of the second half. Ruiz hit a layup with nine minutes left to play to give the Cardinals their final lead of the game, 50-49. From that point on, the momentum in Memorial Hall swung with full force in Plattsburgh's direction.
The NCAA will announce the field of competitors at 10 a.m. on Monday on NCAA.com and brackets will be made available following the webcast.
