PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – A last-second buzzer-beater stunned the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team in a 76-75 loss to Fredonia on Sunday afternoon in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action at Memorial Hall.
  
Down by two, Fredonia inbounded the ball from the right sideline, and senior guard Kreem George ultimately took a handoff on the right wing with seven seconds to go. George dribbled around to the left side of the perimeter and passed to first-year guard Matt Aebersold, setting a screen afterward. With 1.6 seconds left, Aebersold released the ball from behind the arc with a hand in his face, and the shot wound up swishing through the cylinder as time expired to give the Blue Devils the victory.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 2-14 overall (1-8 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits defending SUNYAC champion SUNY Brockport on Friday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Fredonia rises to 2-15 overall (2-8 SUNYAC) with the win and next hosts Buffalo State on Friday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m.
 
The Cardinals started out hot out of the gates, opening up an 11-5 lead thanks to six points in that span by junior forward Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central). Plattsburgh State took its largest lead of the game (eight points) when first-year guard Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) knocked down a pair of free throws with 11:03 left in the first half, but Fredonia countered with an 8-0 run, and a layup by sophomore forward Marquis Tubman tied the game at 15-all. Three-pointers by Tabb and sophomore guard/forward Justin Blanchett (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) pushed the advantage back out to six, but the Blue Devils eventually leveled the score once again. The two teams traded points down the stretch in the first half, and the Cardinals took a 38-37 lead into the locker rooms.
 
Salo scored on a layup on Plattsburgh State's first offensive possession of the second half, and while first-year guard Aaron Collins hit a deep three to tie the game at 40-all, Tabb and Salo each scored to extend the lead to four points. The two sides traded baskets until Fredonia used a 9-1 run to take a 56-51 advantage following a jumper by sophomore forward Alon Kremerman. Tabb capped off a modest 4-0 Cardinal run midway through the second half to give the Cardinals the lead back at 59-58, and senior guard Marlon Todd (Bronx, N.Y./Eagle Academy for Young Men) accounted for five of the six points in a 6-0 Plattsburgh State tear that gave the home team a 67-61 cushion with 5:49 left.
 
The Blue Devils eventually went on a 7-0 run, and a layup by Collins put Fredonia out in front with 1:04 to go. Salo converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play with 41 seconds left to give the Cardinals a 73-72 lead, and Fredonia spent nearly the entirety of the shot clock on its next possession before drawing a foul and going 1-of-2 at the line. After Fredonia missed a free throw with 17 seconds left, Tabb grabbed the defensive rebound, and with the Cardinals up by one, the Blue Devils were forced to foul. Plattsburgh State made the first and missed the second, with Fredonia grabbing the defensive rebound and calling timeout with 10 seconds remaining.

The Cardinals shot 39.4 percent (26-of-66) from the floor and 64.5 percent (20-of-31) from the line, while the Blue Devils shot at a 47.3 percent (26-of-55) clip from the floor, including a 39.3 percent (11-of-28) mark from distance. Plattsburgh State finished with a 38-36 edge in rebounds and forced Fredonia into 19 turnovers, scoring 23 points off those giveaways.

Salo led Plattsburgh State with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Tabb recorded 17 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists. First-year guard Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y./East Rockaway) drained 12 points, while Blanchett buried 10 points coming off the bench.
 
For Fredonia, Collins led the way with 23 points in a full 40 minutes of action, while Aebersold netted 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range and 2-of-2 shooting from the line in 23 minutes coming off the bench. Junior forward Brady Woleben also reached double figures in scoring with 11 points.