MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team looked to bounce back in its second meeting with the Mustangs this season after a loss to Cortland the previous night. With under a minute remaining, the Cardinals trailed 98-95 and had just four players on the court. Senior guard Reem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) led a 5-0 surge, finishing it with the game-winning layup to give Plattsburgh a 100-98 victory over Morrisville in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action on Saturday evening at STUAC Gymnasium. Welch recorded a career-high 49 points, setting a new single-game program scoring record, while adding seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Senior forward Khalil Screen (Providence, R.I. / Classical) nearly had a double-double with a career-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Colin Hartig (Hohen Neuendorf, Germany / Neues Gymnasium Glienicke) finished with a career-high in points and rebounds with 10 and 11, respectively, for his first career double-double. Senior guard/forward Mari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y. / Johnson City) filled the stat sheet with nine points, nine rebounds, and a career-high seven assists. Sophomore guard Jaiden Gladney (Charlestown, W. Va. / Jefferson) orchestrated the offense with eight assists to go with seven points, five rebounds, and a game-high three steals.

For the Mustangs, Jalyn Moorehead led his team in scoring with 19 points to go with four rebounds. Bruce Wingate was right behind him with 18 points and added a team-high seven rebounds. Robert Wiggins chipped in 16 points, and Kaleem Haskins led the team with eight assists.

Plattsburgh shot an efficient 43.6% from the field but struggled from long range, connecting on just 16.0% of three-pointers. The Cardinals made up for it at the free-throw line, hitting 28 of 34 attempts for 82.4%. Morrisville shot slightly better overall, hitting 47.1% from the floor and 38.7% from three, while shooting 78.6% from the line. Plattsburgh controlled the boards, 48-39, and dominated in second-chance points, 22-6. Morrisville, however, capitalized more on turnovers, scoring 21 points off Plattsburgh's 15.

The lead went back and forth early in the first half until the Mustangs scored seven straight points to go up 14-8, before Welch ended the run with a layup, making it 14-10 with 15:11 to play. The Mustangs held on to the lead until the Cardinals swung the momentum with an 11-0 spurt led by Welch with six points that made the score 29-26 Cardinals at the 8:42 mark. The lead was short-lived as Morrisville regained a 32-29 advantage and controlled play the rest of the way, but a quick 4-0 burst to end the half kept Plattsburgh in the game, 50-47, heading into the break.

Both teams traded blows in the second half, with Plattsburgh regaining a 60-58 lead before a Morrisville run pushed the Mustangs ahead 82-71 with 8:16 remaining. However, Plattsburgh stormed back using a 7-0 surge to come within 84-81, before Morrisville tacked on a jumper and made the score 86-81 with 6:01 left. The Cardinals rattled off another run, capped by a Welch layup to take a momentary 88-86 lead as momentum swung back and forth, and both teams were tied at 95. Morrisville drew first blood, taking advantage of a short-handed Plattsburgh lineup to grab a 98-95 lead with less than a minute remaining. The advantage proved fleeting, as Welch led a 5-0 surge, sealing the victory with a game-winning layup to secure a 100-98 win.

With the win, Plattsburgh State rises to 11-9 (8-6 SUNYAC) and next travels to Buffalo State on Friday, Feb. 13, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.