SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team was back in action tonight, traveling to Union for a non-conference matchup at Viniar Athletic Center. The Cardinals stayed within striking distance through much of the first half before a late Union scoring surge in the final five minutes created a double-digit deficit. Plattsburgh continued to battle and found more offensive rhythm after halftime but ultimately fell 93-67.
The Cardinals had three players reach double figures, led by first-year guard
Bryce Long (Rochester, N.Y./Julius L. Chambers), who scored a career-high 15 points. Long knocked down four three-pointers to help Plattsburgh shoot 41.4% from beyond the arc and 38.1% from the floor. Junior guard
Jahdeuir Reese (Syracuse, N.Y./Liverpool) added 11 points and five rebounds, while first-year guard
Casey Dyches (Oxon Hill, Md./Potomac) chipped in a career-high 10 points. Junior forward/center
EJ Johnson (Fallsburg, N.Y./Fallsburg) led the Cardinals on the glass with eight rebounds to go with seven points. However, Plattsburgh was outrebounded 53-31.
For the Garnet Chargers, Cade Furse paced the offense with a game-high 19 points and added four steals to lead all players. Union also held a 27-18 advantage in points off turnovers. Matteo Cervone finished with 14 points, shooting 100% from the field as the Garnet Chargers connected on 50.6% of their overall attempts. Union shot 23.1% from three-point range, while Lino Sanchez contributed 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds. The Garnet Chargers also controlled second-chance opportunities, holding a 19-4 edge in points.
A
Jaiden Gladney (Charlestown, W. Va./Jefferson) three-pointer got Plattsburgh on the board to open the first half, followed by a Reese layup as the Cardinals built an early lead. Long connected from beyond the arc to extend the advantage to 11-10 with 14:38 on the clock. Union responded with a string of baskets to take a 19-14 lead, but Plattsburgh answered with a quick 4-0 burst to pull within one at 19-18 midway through the half. The teams traded baskets before the Cardinals put together an 8-0 scoring surge, highlighted by three-pointers from
Kye Usher (Los Angeles, Calif./Junipero Serra) and Reese. The stretch brought Plattsburgh within one at 27-26 with 5:27 to play. However, Union closed the half with several baskets to build a 46-31 lead at the break.
Plattsburgh showed more offensive energy coming out of halftime, as Dyches sparked an 8-0 scoring stretch with five points to cut the deficit to 66-54 at the 11:05 mark. The Cardinals continued to generate offense, with Dyches converting an and-one jumper before
David McKnight Jr. (South Orange, N.J./Columbia) and Long added back-to-back baskets. The sequence brought the score to 75-62 with 6:40 to play. Usher and Long added baskets down the stretch, but Union continued to find answers offensively as Plattsburgh ultimately fell 93-67.
With the loss, Plattsburgh State drops to 0-2 overall and will return to action Saturday, Nov. 14, traveling to Division I University of Vermont for a 1 p.m. exhibition tip-off.
