CORTLAND, N.Y. – The fifth-seeded Plattsburgh State men's basketball team saw its 2025-26 season come to an end in a 96-71 loss to top-seeded Cortland in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) semifinals on Friday night at Whitney T. Corey '43 Gymnasium. Senior guard Reem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) paced the Cardinals with a game-high 26 points to go with a game-high eight assists and six rebounds.

Sophomore guard Jaiden Gladney (Charlestown, W. Va. / Jefferson) and junior guard Elijah Morris (Mount Vernon, N.Y. / Mount Vernon) both finished with 14 points and a rebound, while Morris added four assists as well. Senior guard/forward Mari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y. / Johnson City) contributed nine points and four rebounds in the overall effort.

For the Red Dragons, Aaron Coston led his team in points with 21 and added seven rebounds and four assists. Kendall Arcuri was next with 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists, followed by Gaige Armbrewster with 15 points.

Plattsburgh connected on 16 triples, shooting 51.6% from long range and 44.4% from the field overall. Cortland was even more efficient, hitting 58.2% of their shots and 41.7% from beyond the arc. The Red Dragons controlled the boards, 37-22, and held the advantage in second-chance points (17-2) and points off turnovers (22-8).

Cortland opened the game with an early 6-2 lead before Plattsburgh's offense ignited with back-to-back triples from Welch, followed by a triple from Gladney that gave Plattsburgh an 11-9 lead with 15:37 remaining. The Red Dragons responded with a 7-0 run to take a 16-11 lead and extended their advantage to double digits before a triple from Morris halted the run, making it 31-18 with 8:34 to go. Cortland continued to push the pace, but Plattsburgh closed the half with triples from Johnson and Morris to trim the deficit to 49-35 at halftime.

A triple from Johnson got Plattsburgh on the board in the second half, but the Cardinals didn't gain any momentum until midway through, when a 5-0 run cut the deficit to 66-56 with 11:32 on the clock. However, Cortland answered with another big run, pushing their lead to 87-61 with 5:23 to play. The Cardinals scored late baskets from Welch and Matty Stolfo (Staten Island, N.Y. / St. Joseph by the Sea) but couldn't find a consistent rhythm and ultimately fell 96-71.

Plattsburgh State closes the 2025-26 season at 13-13 overall (9-9 SUNYAC) and will look to build on this postseason run after making it to the semifinal for the second year in a row.