PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team fell to Oneonta, 92-77, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action on Saturday evening in Memorial Hall.

Before the game, Plattsburgh honored its five seniors, Mari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y. / Johnson City), Jeremy Jolly (Queens, N.Y. / Springfield Gardens), Aidan McGuire (Turin, N.Y. / South Lewis), Khalil Screen (Providence, R.I. / Classical), and Reem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson).

Johnson led Plattsburgh with a career-high 22 points to go with four rebounds. Junior guard/forward David McKnight Jr. (South Orange, N.J. / Columbia) added 16 points, and Elijah Morris chipped in 13 points and three assists. Screen also scored in double figures with 10 points and had a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Jaiden Gladney (Charlestown, W. Va. / Jefferson) finished with nine points, a game-high six assists, and two rebounds.

For the Red Dragons, Nate Cohen led all players with 24 points, while Cam LaClair finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Nicholas Cortez contributed 15 points and four assists, and Delano Knox added 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists.

Plattsburgh shot 50.9% from the field and 52.4% from three-point range compared to Oneonta's 52.5% overall and 50.0% from beyond the arc. Oneonta held a 33-26 advantage in rebounding and outscored Plattsburgh 20-5 in points off turnovers and 14-4 in second-chance points.

The opening minutes of the first half saw even play, as Plattsburgh held an 8-5 lead after Gladney knocked down three free throws. The Red Dragons then used a 7-0 run to take a 15-8 lead with 12:40 to play. The Cardinals cut the lead to one, but Oneonta responded before Plattsburgh went on a 7-0 rally, sparked by a Colin Hartig (Hohen Neuendorf, Germany / Neues Gymnasium Glienicke) triple, to tie the game at 24-24 at the 7:20 mark. The lead seesawed back and forth until six straight points put Oneonta ahead 38-31, and Plattsburgh went into halftime trailing 44-37.

Oneonta pushed its lead to double digits in the second half before Plattsburgh cut into the deficit, as a McKnight Jr. triple made the score 62-60 with 13:07 remaining. Another run put the Red Dragons back ahead by double digits, but McKnight Jr. answered with a jumper, followed by a free throw from Screen that trimmed the score to 83-75 with 3:49 left. Unfortunately, the rally proved too late as Oneonta pulled away down the stretch. McGuire added a late dunk to cap the scoring as Plattsburgh ultimately fell 92-77.

With the loss, Plattsburgh State closes the regular season 12-12 (9-9 SUNYAC) and now turns its focus to postseason play. The Cardinals secured the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament and will travel to No. 4 seed New Paltz on Tuesday, Feb. 24, for a 7 p.m. tip-off.