PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball narrowly dropped a 61-56 decision to Cortland in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play on Saturday evening in Memorial Hall. Senior guard Reem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) led the charge with a game-high 24 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists.

Three other Cardinals just missed double figures as Irwayne Connell Jr. (Monroe CC / Saint Thomas Aquinas), Jaiden Gladney (Charlestown, W. Va. / Jefferson), and Mari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y. / Johnson City) all finished with nine points. Connell Jr. also added eight rebounds, while Gladney and Johnson had three and two, respectively. Khalil Screen (Providence, R.I. / Classical) was a force in the paint, grabbing a team-high nine rebounds, while David McKnight Jr. (South Orange, N.J. / Columbia) anchored the defense with a team-leading two blocks. McKnight Jr., Screen, and Colin Hartig (Hohen Neuendorf, Germany / Neues Gymnasium Glienicke) each recorded a steal.

For the Red Dragons, Xavier Leveille led the team in scoring with 11 points and added three rebounds and two blocks. Isaiah Austin also reached double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Aaron Coston led all players with a game-high eight assists to go with nine points and four rebounds.

Plattsburgh State shot 38.2% from the floor and 25.0% from long range, while Cortland posted higher marks at 40.4% overall and 32.3% from the three-point line. The Cardinals held a slim rebounding advantage, 35-31, and outscored Cortland 15-7 in second-chance points, though Cortland countered with 13 points off turnovers to Plattsburgh's six.

Cortland began the game with an early 9-0 lead at the 18:16 mark before an 8-0 run from Plattsburgh, capped off by a Welch layup, tied the score at 11 at the 14:37 mark. Cortland reclaimed the lead, and while Plattsburgh managed to tie the game several times, the Cardinals didn't pull ahead until Welch's three-pointer put them up 21-18 with 7:35 remaining. With the score knotted at 25, Cortland finished the opening half on a 5-0 burst and took a 30-25 lead into the break.

Plattsburgh struck first out of the break with a three-pointer from Johnson and still trailed 37-34 at the 13:58 mark despite a 5-0 burst. Cortland built its lead to double digits on multiple occasions and led until Plattsburgh finally broke through with a three-pointer from Gladney that tied the game at 54 with 2:05 left. Despite the Cardinals building momentum and Screen cutting the deficit to one at 57-56, the Cardinals couldn't capitalize, ultimately falling 60-56.

With the loss, Plattsburgh State drops to 8-5 (5-2 SUNYAC) and is back in action on Friday, Jan. 23, when the team travels to Oneonta for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.