PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Senior guard Reem Welch's (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) double-double powered the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team to a 94-78 win over Fredonia in their State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener on Friday night at Memorial Hall. The Cardinals had five players reach double figures, led by Welch with 25 points and 10 rebounds, leading all players in both categories.

Sophomore guard Jaiden Gladney (Charlestown, W. Va. / Jefferson) had a strong performance with 17 points and seven assists, while senior forward Irwayne Connell Jr. (Monroe CC / Saint Thomas Aquinas) contributed 14 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. Khalil Screen (Providence, R.I. / Classical) and Elijah Morris (Mount Vernon, N.Y. / Mount Vernon) also scored in double figures for Plattsburgh with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Morris also had seven rebounds and seven assists, and Screen added six rebounds and two assists. Junior guard/forward David McKnight Jr. (South Orange, N.J. / Columbia) led the team defensively with a career-high and game-high four steals to go with eight points and two rebounds. First-year Matty Stolfo (Staten Island, N.Y. / St. Joseph by the Sea) recorded the first points of his collegiate career in the Cardinals' dominant victory.

For the Blue Devils, Victor Robinson led the team in scoring with 23 points and four rebounds. Martin Garza followed closely behind with 22 points and grabbed four rebounds as well. Stevie Williams led all players in assists with 10, and Antowan Holmes led the team with seven rebounds.

Overall, for the game, Plattsburgh shot a strong 50.7% from the floor and 33.3% from behind the arc. The Blue Devils had a solid shooting night, shooting 42.6% from the floor and 31.3% from the three-point line. The Cardinals won the battle on the board (41-37) and finished with 13 second-chance points while Fredonia had 14. The Cardinals had fewer turnovers overall, but both teams still finished with 14 points off turnovers.

Fredonia jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Plattsburgh found its footing and went on a 15-0 tear, led by Gladney and McKnight Jr., and opened a 15-7 lead at the 13:41 mark. Another big run by Plattsburgh, featuring five points from Connell Jr., made the score 33-13 with 7:30 to go in the first half. The Cardinals continued to pour it on and closed the first half with six straight points, capped off by a Stolfo jumper that made the score 55-30 going into the break.

The second half was no different from the first as a 5-0 burst sparked by four points from Welch gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the game at 30 and made the score 60-30 at the 18:36 mark. The Cardinals remained in control, and a quick six points from Welch made the score 76-52 with 8:22 remaining. A Gladney layup and a three-pointer from Mari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y. / Johnson City) pushed the score to 93-67 as McKnight Jr. capped the scoring and the Cardinals went on to win 94-78.

With the win, Plattsburgh State rises to 3-3 (1-0 SUNYAC) and will be back in action tomorrow, Dec. 6, when the team hosts Buffalo State for a 4 p.m. tip-off. Fredonia falls to 0-6 (0-1 SUNYAC) and next travels to Potsdam tomorrow, Dec. 6.