PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Senior guard Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) netted the game-winning free throw after getting fouled on a layup with 0.9 seconds remaining in overtime. Infante made his first free throw which tied the game, and his second free throw won the game and gave the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team a 78-77 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) overtime win over Buffalo State. Infante finished the night with a game-high 24 points to go with seven rebounds and two assists.

Plattsburgh had a balanced offensive attack with three other players netting double figures in junior guard Kareem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson), senior guard/forward Ikechukwu Ezike (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Paul Robeson), and senior guard Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson). Welch recorded 11 points, a team-high nine rebounds, and three assists. Ezike and Tabb both had 10 points while Ezike had five rebounds and three blocks and Tabb three rebounds and three steals. Jeremiah Smith (Brooklyn, N.Y. / East New York Family Academy) and Nate Pondexter Jr. (Washington, D.C. / Archbishop Carroll) both had nine points and six rebounds while Smith also added three blocks.  

For the Bengals, Bryce Williams led his team in scoring with 22 points while Ani Chisom led his team in rebounding with a game-high 12. Zee Johnson and Matt Parkinson had 16 and 14 points respectively.

The Cardinals shot a solid 35.5% from the field, 31.3% from behind the arc, and 69.0% from the stripe while the Bengals shot an efficient 42.2% from the field, 29.2% from behind the arc, and 66.7% from the stripe. The Cardinals won the battle on the glass 46-39 but the Bengals took advantage of their offensive rebounds and finished the night with 14 second-chance points while the Cardinals only had six. Plattsburgh had fewer turnovers and got 17 points off turnovers and the Bengals had 14.

Plattsburgh State rises to 13-11 (10-7 SUNYAC) with the win and next hosts Fredonia tomorrow, Feb. 22 in their regular-season finale at 4 p.m. Before the game, the Cardinals will honor their seven seniors: Orlando Dawkins (Mount Vernon, N.Y. / Mount Vernon), Ikechukwu Ezike, Ladan Graves (Pelham, N.Y. / Pelham Memorial), Franklin Infante, Matt Kone-Bradshaw (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Adams Street Academy), Jeremiah Smith, and Kevin Tabb. Buffalo State falls to 8-16 (6-11 SUNYAC) with the loss and next travels to Potsdam tomorrow, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m.

After Infante got the scoring started with a layup at the 18:02 mark another layup from Infante and a three-pointer from Ezike pushed Plattsburgh ahead 7-2 at the 16:39 mark. After the Bengals cut the Cardinals' lead to one, Pondexter Jr. responded with a three-pointer but back-to-back jumpers from Buffalo gave the Bengals a 12-11 lead at the 11:04 mark. The lead changed four more times before a three-pointer from Damari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y. / Johnson City) and a jumper from Infante gave the Cardinals a 20-17 lead at the 6:19 mark. The game continued to go back and forth as back-to-back three-pointers from Parkinson put the Bengals back ahead 24-22 momentarily as the lead switched two more times with the Cardinals ahead 31-30 at halftime.

The Bengals came out hot to start the second half, nailing back-to-back three-pointers to take a 36-31 lead at the 18:30 mark. That lead would hold for the Bengals until a 6-0 burst from Plattsburgh capped off by a three-pointer from Infante tied the game at 43 at the 12:47 mark. However, the Bengals responded with a 5-0 burst and regained the lead 48-43 at the 11:19 mark. Another scoring burst helped the Bengals push their lead to as high as nine at the 8:24 mark but Plattsburgh battled back using a 10-0 tear and took a 65-63 lead momentarily at the 1:32 mark. The Bengals responded in turn with back-to-back layups as they led 67-65 with less than 10 seconds remaining but Tabb had the answer for Plattsburgh slicing through the lane for a layup that tied the game at 67 ultimately sending the game to overtime.

Overtime was no different as both teams continued to trade the lead back and forth. After three straight points from Plattsburgh gave the Cardinals a 76-74 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining, Johnson hit a clutch three-pointer that gave the Bengals a 77-76 lead. The Cardinals had a chance to respond and after missing a three-pointer Infante came away with the offensive rebound and was fouled on a putback layup attempt with 0.9 seconds remaining. Infante drained the first free throw that tied the game at 77 and the second free throw that made the score 78-77 and won Plattsburgh the game. With less than a second remaining a clutch steal from Tabb sealed the Cardinals' 78-77 victory.