FREDONIA, N.Y. – After a close first half and only going into halftime up one, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team turned it up in the second half and secured a 78-66 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory over Fredonia and won the season series. Powered by Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) who led all players in points with 21 to go along with four rebounds and four assists which also led the team, the Cardinals got their second season sweep in a row.

Ikechukwu Ezike had a strong performance as well with 18 points, seven rebounds, and five steals which was a Plattsburgh State career high for the junior guard/forward. Kevin Tabb also reached double figures with 10 points to go with a career-high 14 rebounds and notch his first double-double of his career. Tabb also dished out three assists and grabbed a steal. Dylan Trombley (Moriah, N.Y. / Moriah) and Willard Anderson Jr. (Buffalo, N.Y. East) also impacted the overall game with eight and seven points respectively while Trombley grabbed eight rebounds and Anderson Jr. one.

For the Blue Devils, Tyrese Fuller led his team in points with 19. Kennan Roberts Jr. was also in double figures with 12.  

The Cardinals shot an efficient 44.3% from the field and made 5 of 12 threes at 41.7% while the Blue Devils shot 39.7% from the field and made 5 of 17 threes at 29.4%. Both teams had 20 or more attempts from the line as the Cardinals made 19 of 27 at 70.4% and the Blue Devils 15-20 at 75.0%. This was a high turnover game for both teams as they each had 20 turnovers and got 15 points off those turnovers. While both teams got support from their bench, the Cardinal's bench was more impactful with 33 points compared to the Blue Devils' 25. The Cardinals dominated the boards 43-30 leading to 15 second-chance points while the Blue Devils had 10.

Plattsburgh rises to 12-11 overall (9-7 SUNYAC) and will head back home to Memorial Hall as they host a SUNYAC weekend finale first matching up against New Paltz on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 pm. Fredonia falls to 7-16 overall (4-12 SUNYAC) and heads on the road with a matchup against No. 6 Oswego State on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 pm.

The first half was closely contested as both teams responded to runs and neither team was able to pull away. The Cardinals opened the first with a three from Anderson Jr. and a jumper from Ezike followed by an and-one layup from Fuller. The Cardinals scored back-to-back buckets again followed by a layup from Roberts Jr. that made the score 9-5 Cardinals with less than 16 minutes to play. A three from Naejon Ward made the score 18-17 and cut the Cardinals' lead to one halfway through the first. A three from Isaiah Youngquist and a layup tied the game and then gave the Blue Devils their first lead of the game 22-20. The lead changed sides again as Ezike made a pair of free throws that gave the Cardinals the lead 23-22 and Fuller a layup that gave the Blue Devils the lead 24-23. At the 7:49 mark, Matt Kone-Bradshaw (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Adams Street Academy) tied the game and then an and-one layup from Infante made the score 28-27 and gave the Cardinals the lead once again. The lead changed two more times after that as the Cardinals went on a 7-0 run from the 4:17 mark until the 2:17 mark that made the score 41-31 Cardinals. The Blue Devils responded with a 9-0 run that lasted to the end of the half and made the score 41-40 Cardinals at halftime.

Anderson Jr. opened the second half with a layup followed by a pair of free throws from Fuller. The Cardinals lead stretched to as much as seven before the Blue Devils came back and tied the game at 49 at the 14:27 mark. Threes from Trombley and Tim Thomas (Manhattan, N.Y. / Commonwealth Academy (Mass.)) put the Cardinals ahead. A layup from Infante at the 8:19 mark extended the Cardinals' lead to double digits and made the score 64-53. With less than five minutes to play a jumper from Malik Jemision cut the Cardinals' lead to single digits but the Cardinals responded with four straight points that made the score 74-62. With a double-digit lead, the Cardinals withstood the comeback attempt and won 78-66.