PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team had three players in double figures in a close 83-78 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) win over New Paltz in Memorial Hall on Saturday evening. Senior guard Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) had a strong performance with 18 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one assist.

Junior guard Kareem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) led all players in scoring with 19 points to go with four rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Senior guard/forward Ikechukwu Ezike (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) was in double figures with 10 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) led the team in rebounds and assists with six and five respectively to go with his six points. Jeremiah Smith (Brooklyn, N.Y. / East New York Family Academy), Nate Pondexter Jr. (Washington, D.C. / Archbishop Carroll), and Ladan Graves (Pelham, N.Y. / Pelham Memorial) all had solid performances with nine, eight, and seven points respectively.

For the Hawks, A.J. Knight and Dakoda Smith both led the team with 17 points while Smith led all players in rebounds with 11. Trevor Amalfitano had a solid performance with 14 points while Sean St. Lucia had a game-high six assists.

The Cardinals shot slightly better on the evening, shooting an efficient 46.2% from the field and 76.9% from the stripe while the Hawks shot an efficient 45.5% from the field and 92.0% from the free throw line. Neither team shot very well from the three-point line with the Cardinals only shooting 30.0% and the Hawks 25.0%. The Hawks outrebounded the Cardinals 34-30 and had 17 second-chance points while the Cardinals had 14. The Cardinals forced 21 New Paltz turnovers and recorded 30 points off turnovers while the Hawks had 16.

Plattsburgh State rises to 9-7 (6-3 SUNYAC) with the win and is back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. when they welcome the Bears of Potsdam. New Paltz falls to 11-6 (7-3 SUNYAC) and is back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 28 when they host Oswego State for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

After the first half began with closely contested play, Plattsburgh gained some momentum after an 11-0 tear led by Infante with five points gave the Cardinals a 14-4 lead at the 13:50 mark. A quick 5-0 burst from the Hawks cut into Plattsburgh's lead until a 9-0 New Paltz run led by Smith with four points gave the Hawks a 21-18 lead at the 8:04 mark. Another run from New Paltz pushed the Hawks' lead to 29-21 at the 5:39 mark, however, an 11-0 run from Plattsburgh led by Welch with seven points put the Cardinals ahead 36-33 at the end of the first half.

Plattsburgh opened the second half with back-to-back baskets followed by a 7-0 run led by Smith with five points that put the Cardinals up by double digits and made the score 47-35 at the 16:04 mark. New Paltz responded with a 12-2 run and cut the Cardinals' lead to two at the 13:45 mark, however, Plattsburgh went on a run of their own and extended their lead to 62-49 at the 10:33 mark. It was another run by New Paltz that cut into Plattsburgh's lead, this time a 9-0 run that made the score 62-58 at the 8:27 mark but Plattsburgh countered it with an 8-0 run and pushed their lead to 73-60 at the 5:13 mark. The Hawks battled back and cut Plattsburgh's lead to two after a three-pointer from Knight made the score 78-76 Cardinals at the 1:13 mark. After both teams exchanged free throws and made the score 80-78 with less than 30 seconds to go Plattsburgh made three straight free throws and put the game out of reach winning 83-78.