BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team looked to extend its momentum with a second straight win in game three of a four-game road stretch. Holding the series edge over the Bengals, the Cardinals sought a season sweep but came up short, falling 66-64 to Buffalo State in a tightly contested State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup on Friday night at Sports Arena. Senior forward Khalil Screen (Providence, R.I. / Classical) paced the Cardinals with a double-double, netting a game-high 16 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and adding a game-high two blocks.

Senior guard Reem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) flirted with a triple-double, recording 12 points, a game-high nine assists, and eight rebounds. Senior guard/forward Mari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y. / Johnson City) nearly had a double-double with nine points and eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Colin Hartig (Hohen Neuendorf, Germany / Neues Gymnasium Glienicke) added eight points and four rebounds. Junior guard Elijah Morris (Mount Vernon, N.Y. / Mount Vernon) also chipped in eight points alongside two assists and two steals.

For the Bengals, Oryan DeJusus and Chisom Ani both finished with 10 points, while DeJesus added a team-high eight assists, and Chisom a game-high 12 rebounds. Jacob Opare and Hali Shabazz both scored nine points on the night.

Plattsburgh shot efficiently, connecting on 39.1% of their field goals and 30.4% from three-point range, though Buffalo State edged them with 41.1% overall and 36.4% from beyond the arc. The Cardinals controlled the glass 37-32, held a 10-4 advantage in second-chance points, and dominated in points off turnovers, 13-2.

The Bengals opened the game with a quick 5-0 lead, but a Screen three-pointer tied it at 5-5 as the lead swung back and forth, and a David McKnight Jr. (South Orange, N.J. / Columbia) triple gave Plattsburgh a 13-11 edge with 13:05 remaining. Back-to-back triples cushioned the Cardinals' lead to 19-13, and moments later, a Screen layup extended Plattsburgh's lead to 24-16 with 7:56 to play. Four straight points pushed Plattsburgh's lead to double digits, but the Bengals stayed close, trimming the margin to 32-28 at halftime.

Both teams traded baskets to start the second half, as a 5-0 surge capped by Jaiden Gladney's (Charlestown, W. Va. / Jefferson) three-point play put the Cardinals ahead 37-31, and shortly after, a Screen layup made the score 41-38 with 15:15 still to play. The next several minutes featured back-and-forth action until the Cardinals scored four straight points to cushion their advantage to 54-49 at the 8:17 mark. Just as the Cardinals gained momentum, the Bengals tied it at 58-58, before Welch's 4-0 surge put Plattsburgh ahead 62-58, but Buffalo State responded to take a 65-64 lead with 0:32 to go. The Cardinals looked to secure a second straight win with a game-winning shot, but despite their best efforts, they came up short and fell 66-64.

With the loss, Plattsburgh State drops to 11-10 (8-7 SUNYAC) and is back in action tomorrow, Feb. 14, when the team travels to Fredonia for a 4 p.m. tip-off.