BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team came up with a crucial road win over Buffalo State on Friday evening at the Buffalo State Sports Arena to keep pace in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) standings, as the Cardinals prevailed, 87-85, in overtime.
 
It marked the first overtime game for the Cardinals since Jan. 9, 2016, when Plattsburgh State defeated Buffalo State, 98-91, at Memorial Hall.
 
Down three with under a minute to go in regulation, Plattsburgh State received a 3-pointer by junior guard Travis Cox (Brooklyn, N.Y./Frederick Douglass Academy) with 29 seconds left to tie the game at 72-all. Following a timeout, Buffalo State misfired on its final possession of the second half, forcing overtime.
 
While Buffalo State's junior guard Sheldon Adams drilled a 3-pointer on the opening possession of overtime, Cox cut the deficit to one by making a pair of free throws following matching technical fouls sustained by both teams. Cox came up with a steal on the defensive end just seconds into the Bengals' next possession, and freshman guard Axel Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./New Paltz) converted on a fastbreak layup and a continuation free throw as a result of a foul on the shot to give Plattsburgh State a 77-75 advantage.
 
Senior forward Kay Grant answered for Buffalo State by scoring on a layup to tie the score at 77-all, but a 6-0 Cardinal surge gave the visitors the lead for good. Freshman forward Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) started the run by making a layup, while senior forward Adam Jaquish (Moriah, N.Y./Moriah) made two free throws to extend the margin to 81-77. Rodriguez cashed in on a layup to cap off the spurt. While Buffalo State twice whittled the deficit to three, Plattsburgh State made its free throws down the stretch, and a five-point cushion was enough to sustain a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Adams.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 5-8 overall (2-4 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits Fredonia tomorrow at 4 p.m. Buffalo State drops to 3-6 overall (1-4 SUNYAC) with the loss and hosts SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
Buffalo State scored the first nine points of the game before Cox answered with five straight. An 8-0 Cardinal run that was capped off with a jumper by junior guard Matt Bernhard (Voorheesville, N.Y./Voorheesville) handed Plattsburgh State a 15-13 advantage, while Buffalo State countered with a five-point surge to go up by three. The lead changed hands nine times before senior guard/forward Jeremy Eisenman (New York, N.Y./NEST+m) hit a pair of free throws to stake Plattsburgh State to a 35-31 cushion. Adams made a free throw before Eisenman nailed a 3-pointer to give the Cardinals a 38-32 advantage at the half.
 
The Cardinals opened up an eight-point lead early in the second half, with a layup by freshman center Cameron Ness (Clintondale, N.Y./Highland) giving Plattsburgh State a 46-38 cushion, but after the two teams traded baskets, the Bengals went on an 8-0 tear to tie the game at 48-all. Buffalo State wound up taking the lead for the first time in the second half with 8:01 on the clock, and an Adams-powered five-point scoring spree put the Bengals on top, 62-57, with 6:55 left.
 
After Cox tied the game at 67-all with a layup, Buffalo State's sophomore guard Mark Worthy made a 3-pointer to give the Bengals a 70-67 edge. Salo made a fastbreak layup with 2:53 remaining to draw the Cardinals within one, but junior guard Jordan Christopher extended Buffalo State's lead to three on the Bengals' next possession. Neither team scored for nearly two minutes until Cox buried the game-tying 3-pointer that sent the contest into overtime.
 
Plattsburgh State shot a season-best 50 percent (33-of-66) from the floor in addition to scoring 52 points in the paint and 21 fastbreak points. The Cardinals also held a slight 45-42 edge in rebounds. Plattsburgh State weathered Buffalo State's 48.1 percent (13-of-27) shooting performance from beyond the arc.
 
Cox posted his third double-double this season with 27 points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds, while Jaquish (15), Rodriguez (12) and Salo (12) joined him in double-digit scoring figures. Senior guard Nick DeAngelis (West Milford, N.J./West Milford) stuffed the stat sheet with a career-high seven assists in addition to matching a career-high total in steals (3). Eisenman and Salo each handed out a career-high five assists, while Rodriguez swiped a career-high four steals.
 
For Buffalo State, Adams led the way with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Christopher posted a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double. Worthy added 12 points coming off the bench, while freshman guard Aaron Davis dished out 10 assists.