CORTLAND, N.Y. – The fifth-seeded Plattsburgh State men's basketball team is set to travel to top-seeded Cortland for a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament semifinal matchup at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, at the Whitney T. Corey '43 Gymnasium. The Cardinals are aiming to reach the SUNYAC championship game for the first time since the 2017-18 season, when they captured the title with a victory over Oneonta. In its most recent postseason appearance, Plattsburgh State fell to New Paltz in a semifinal matchup.

TICKET PRICING: General admission tickets are $6, while tickets for children (ages 5-17) are $4. Children 4 and under and SUNYAC students with valid identification will be admitted free of charge. Fans wanting to purchase tickets must do so via this link.

ABOUT THE SERIES: Plattsburgh State and Cortland have squared off 113 times in their history, with the Red Dragons owning a 73-40 mark. Cortland swept the regular-season series, winning, 61-56, on Jan. 17 at Memorial Hall before taking an 81-62 decision in Cortland on Feb. 6.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State enters the semifinal matchup at 13-12 overall (9-9 SUNYAC) in 2025-26. This marks the Cardinals' third consecutive SUNYAC Tournament appearance. Last season, they defeated Morrisville 69-66 in the first round before falling 74-72 to New Paltz in the semifinals.

The Cardinals advanced to the semifinals after knocking off fourth-seeded New Paltz, 97-88, in overtime in the first round on Tuesday night. It marked Plattsburgh State's first road SUNYAC Tournament win since defeating Geneseo in the conference semifinals, 73-69, on Feb. 28, 2014. In the Cardinals' victory over the Hawks, four players surpassed 20 points: senior guard/forward Mari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y./Johnson City) with 22, senior guard Reem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) and senior forward Khalil Screen (Providence, R.I./Classical) with 21 apiece and junior guard Elijah Morris (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Vernon) with 20. Plattsburgh State shot 47.1% (32-of-68) from the floor and 35.7% (10-of-28) from distance while holding a 45-39 edge in rebounds.

As a team, the Cardinals average 77.6 points per game (fourth in the conference) while shooting 42.3% from the field and 69.5% from the free-throw line (third in the conference). Plattsburgh ranks second in the conference in turnovers per game, taking excellent care of the basketball, and leads the league in offensive rebounds per game (14.0), creating valuable second-chance opportunities.

Plattsburgh features three players averaging double figures, led by Welch, who leads the conference and ranks third nationally in scoring at 26.1 points per game. He shoots 53.1% from the field (fifth in the conference) and 81.2% from the free-throw line (second in the league). In addition to his scoring, Welch leads the team and the conference in assists per game (4.1) and averages a team-high and conference third-best 8.2 rebounds per game. He also leads the league with 3.5 offensive rebounds per game.
 
Morris averages 12.8 PPG, while sophomore guard Jaiden Gladney (Charlestown, W. Va./Jefferson) adds 11.1 PPG. Screen contributes 10.1 PPG and ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage at 59.2%. Screen averages 8.1 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the conference, including 2.8 offensive rebounds per game (fourth in the league).

Defensively, the Cardinals rank first in the conference in blocks per game (3.8) and limit opponents to 43.0% shooting, which ranks sixth in the league. Plattsburgh State outrebounds opponents by 2.4 boards per game, placing fourth in the conference.

The defense is anchored by Welch on the perimeter and Screen in the paint. Welch leads the team in steals at 1.7 per game, while Screen ranks second on the team with 15 blocks and leads the team in defensive rebounds per game (5.3). Junior guard/forward David McKnight Jr. (South Orange, N.J./Columbia) has added 12 blocks this season, and Gladney averages 1.4 steals per game.

Seventh-year head coach Mike Blaine is making his third consecutive SUNYAC Tournament appearance.

ABOUT THE RED DRAGONS: Cortland finished the 2025-26 regular season 21-4 overall (17-1 SUNYAC) and is currently riding a 13-game winning streak dating back to Jan. 13. The Red Dragons finished 9-1 at home and posted an 11-1 record on the road. Cortland is the defending SUNYAC champion, having beaten top-seeded New Paltz, 61-52, in the conference championship game last season. The Red Dragons are ranked 44th in NPI, the rankings used to select and seed the NCAA Tournament.

As a team, Cortland averages 77.8 points per game (third in the conference) while shooting a league-best 46.0% from the floor. The Red Dragons average 39.9 rebounds per game and lead the conference with a rebounding margin of +8.2.

Aaron Coston paces the Red Dragon offense with 14.2 points per game and a conference-leading .592 field-goal percentage. Kendall Arcuri shoots 78.9% from the line and averages 13.4 PPG.

Third-year head coach Maurice Kearney boasts a 53-28 overall record at the helm of the program and has led Cortland to a SUNYAC championship and an NCAA Division III Tournament berth.

WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of the Plattsburgh State-Cortland matchup will advance to face either second-seeded Oneonta or third-seeded Oswego in the championship game on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m. Cortland's Whitney T. Corey '43 Gymnasium will serve as the host regardless of whether or not Cortland advances. The SUNYAC champion will earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.