BUFFALO, N.Y. – After trailing by as many as 11 points in the second half, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team came within two points in the final minutes but couldn't score the tying basket and eventually fell 78-75 to Buffalo State on the road in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action. First-year guard/forward Nate Pondexter Jr. (Washington, D.C. / Archbishop Carroll) led the Cardinal offense with 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, a block, and a steal in an all-around performance. 

Senior guard Sasha Vidrini (Trieste, Italy / Liceo Rogazionisti) contributed 14 points with two rebounds, one assist, steal, and block while junior guard Kareem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) had 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) and Damari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y. / Johnson City) recorded seven and six points while Tabb also recorded five rebounds and four assists, and both had a steal.

For the Bengals, Matt Parkinson led all players in scoring with 20 points and tied for a game-high five assists with his teammate Bryce Williams who also had five assists on the day as well. Maley McCurty led all players in rebounding with nine to go with his 14 points.

The Cardinals shot a solid 39.7% from the field but only 33.3% from the three knocking down 6 of 18 while the Bengals shot a very efficient 47.5% from the field and 50.0% from the three knocking down 11 of 22. The Cardinals did shoot better from the stripe making 15 of 21 at 71.4% while the Bengals made 9 of 14 at 64.3%. The Cardinals dominated the glass 47-34 leading to 14 second-chance points compared to the Bengals' seven. Both teams took advantage of turnovers as both recorded 20 points off turnovers.

Plattsburgh State falls to 4-7 (1-3 SUNYAC) and next travels to Potsdam on Tuesday, Jan. 14 with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. Buffalo State moves to 4-8 (2-3 SUNYAC) and next hosts Cortland on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m.

The first half was back and forth with multiple lead changes until a 10-0 Plattsburgh run led by six points from Johnson gave the Cardinals a 25-16 lead at the 10:24 mark. The Bengals responded with a run of their own and made the score 25-21 before a Tabb jumper broke up the run. The Bengals then went on a 12-0 tear and took a 33-27 lead with less than six minutes remaining in the first half. A quick 7-0 burst from Plattsburgh brought the Cardinals within one, however, the Bengals responded with another big run and pushed their lead to 42-34 before taking a 46-36 lead at halftime after back-to-back layups to end the half. 

The second half started slow until Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) scored the first points of the half at the 17:58 mark followed by a three-pointer from Zee Johnson. The next few minutes saw back-and-forth play from both teams until the Cardinals scored five straight points and made the score 57-52 Bengals at the 13:00 minute mark before back-to-back three-pointers for Buffalo pushed the Bengals lead as high as 11. Plattsburgh chipped away at the lead and eventually an 8-0 burst from the Cardinals with contributions from Vidrini, Pondexter Jr., and Welch made the score 72-71 Bengals with less than three minutes remaining. After the Bengals pushed their lead back to six, Welch and Vidrini made two free throws each and made the score 77-75 Bengals with less than 30 seconds remaining. The Cardinals had two possessions with the opportunity to tie but couldn't generate any offense and eventually fell 78-75.