PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team was stunned by a late three by SUNY Geneseo, as the Cardinals dropped a 65-62 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) decision to the Knights on Friday evening at Memorial Hall.
 
While Geneseo led, 62-58, with 2:18 left in regulation, senior guard Marlon Todd (Bronx, N.Y./Eagle Academy for Young Men) drained a 3-pointer on the Cardinals' next possession to pull Plattsburgh State within one. Junior forward Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) went to the line with 1:26 remaining and went 1-of-2 to tie the score at 62-all, and back-to-back offensive fouls ultimately gave the ball back to the Knights. Junior guard Harrison Dignan hit a step-back 3-pointer to beat the shot clock horn with 16 seconds remaining, handing Geneseo a three-point lead. The Cardinals had two chances to tie in the waning seconds but were unable to force overtime.
 
Salo led the Cardinals with 18 points, while Todd and first-year guard Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) netted 17 and 15 points, respectively. Todd's total served as a career high. Tabb added six assists, while first-year guard Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y./East Rockaway) had seven points, five rebounds and three steals.
 
For Geneseo, senior forward Michael Gannon netted 19 points, while graduate student guard Terrance Nichols and sophomore guard Cole Kattan scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. Dignan stuffed the stat sheet with 10 assists, seven points, five rebounds and two steals.
 
Both teams shot similar numbers from the floor, with the Cardinals shooting 41.5 percent (22-of-53) and the Knights shooting 42.2 percent (27-of-64). Geneseo finished with a 38-32 edge in rebounds and scored 17 points off 18 Cardinal turnovers.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 2-20 overall (1-14 SUNYAC) with the loss and hosts SUNY Brockport at 4 p.m. tomorrow on Senior Day in its home finale. Prior to the start of the game, the Cardinals will honor Todd, forward Kyle Cary (Selkirk, N.Y./Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk) and junior center Cameron Ness (Clintondale, N.Y./Highland) as a part of Senior Day festivities. Geneseo rises to 10-11 overall (8-7 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
Geneseo hopped out to an early 8-2 lead before an 8-2 Plattsburgh State run that included six points from Tabb tied the score at 12-all. While the Knights led by as many as five from that point forward in the first half, the lead changed hands four more times, and a 3-pointer by Geneseo's Kattan put the visitors out in front, 37-35, heading into the locker rooms.
 
Plattsburgh State largely controlled the momentum in the early going of the second half, going on an 11-5 run to open the stanza. Tabb handed the Cardinals a 46-42 advantage on an old-fashioned 3-point play before Salo answered a Knight basket with a layup. The Knights netted 10 unanswered points to build a 54-48 cushion, but a 6-0 Cardinal surge that included three points each by senior guard/forward Sheriff Conteh (Bronx, N.Y./Our Saviour Lutheran) and Todd tied the score at 56-all with 7:28 left in regulation. The two teams continued to battle back and forth, and while Plattsburgh State came within striking distance and eventually tied the game, the Cardinals were unable to regain the lead down the stretch.