FREDONIA, N.Y. – Four Cardinals reached double figures, but the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team fell to Fredonia, 76-72, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action Tuesday afternoon at Dods Hall.
 
First-year guard Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) netted 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor and added seven rebounds, four steals and two assists to lead the way for Plattsburgh State. Junior forward Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) scored 19 points, while first-year guard Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y./East Rockaway) and senior guard/forward Sheriff Conteh (Bronx, N.Y./Our Saviour Lutheran) recorded 13 and 12 points, respectively.
 
While the Blue Devils led by as many as 10 points midway through the second half, the Cardinals stormed back, going on a 14-3 run. A layup by Salo with 2:42 remaining gave Plattsburgh State a 66-65 lead. Fredonia scored six unanswered points to go back up by five, but Infante drained a 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining to pull the visitors within two.
 
First-year guard Jackson Brown and senior guard Kreem George combined for three points off free throws on the Blue Devils' next two possessions, but Tabb answered with a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining. George wound up putting the game on ice by sinking both of his free throws with four seconds to go.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 1-12 overall (0-6 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits Buffalo State tomorrow at 2 p.m. Fredonia rises to 1-13 overall (1-6 SUNYAC) with the win and hosts SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 2 p.m.
 
The two teams traded points in the early going until a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Conteh dunk with 7:00 left in the first half handed the Cardinals a 24-17 lead. A pair of made free throws by Salo with 5:01 to go in the period gave Plattsburgh State an eight-point advantage, its largest of the game. Five straight Blue Devil points brought the home team within three, and neither team was unable to sustain momentum down the stretch in the half, with a layup by Salo providing the halftime score of 33-27 in favor of Plattsburgh State.
 
George hit a trey on back-to-back possessions to open the second half for Fredonia, but Tabb converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play to put Plattsburgh State back up by three. The Blue Devils wound up scoring eight straight points over a span of 1:27, and a 3-pointer by Brown put Fredonia up, 53-45, with 11:12 left.
 
Plattsburgh State shot 38.5 percent (25-of-65) from the field and forced Fredonia into 24 turnovers, scoring 22 points off those giveaways. Fredonia was 39 percent (23-of-59) from the floor, 37 percent (10-of-27) from 3-point range and 76.9 percent (20-of-26) from the line in addition to holding a 46-38 edge in rebounds.
 
Fredonia was led by George and Brown, who scored 19 and 18 points, respectively. First-year guard Aaron Collins netted 10 points coming off the bench.