PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – In what was a matchup between two teams in similar spots last year when they met inside Memorial Hall, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team once again halted a Buffalo State six game winning streak, this time with a thrilling 98-91 overtime victory on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Cardinals, who led almost the entire first half, were stunned to see the Bengals chip at their lead in the second, eventually losing it late in the game. Plattsburgh State clawed back in the waning moments, and called on its top offensive player, Kyle Richardson, to hit a three with less than ten seconds left in regulation to force overtime. The Cardinals would dominate the extra session, outscoring Buffalo State 12-5.
 
Plattsburgh State excelled on the offensive side of the ball in the opening stanza, shooting 61.5-percent (16-for-26), including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
 
Picking up right where he left off from Friday's game, the senior, Richardson drove to the hoop at will all game, creating seven free throw opportunities in the first half alone, and totaled 17 points at the break.
 
The Cardinals were able to put together runs of 8-0, 11-2, and 12-4 to build a comfortable lead, and held a 46-35 advantage at halftime.
 
Thanks to a pair of layups from freshman Jonathan Patron in the opening five minutes of the second, Plattsburgh State extended its lead to 17 points, its largest of the game.
 
It was at that point the Bengals turned things around dramatically, as senior Kevin Marmolejos drilled two of his six triples on back-to-back possessions to cut the Cardinal lead to 11 with 14:40 left.
 
A minute later, Buffalo State took all the momentum out of the Cardinals and the Memorial Hall crowd, as it started a 12-0 run, culminated by a pair of Mike Henry layups. The Bengals would trail by just three with 8:44 remaining.
 
Marmolejos continued with the hot hand from downtown, hitting two more triples, and with just over five minutes left, Buffalo State grabbed  a 73-72 lead, it first advantage since it led at 6-5.
 
Having gotten in the penalty early in the second half, the Cardinals saw the Bengals have 17 free throw opportunities, and they made 11 of them. Sophomore guard Redell Freeman was a thorn in the Cardinals' side, as he made 8-of-10 attempts from the charity stripe, finishing in total with 18 points.
 
The Bengals pushed their lead to as many as six points, and led by that margin with 1:58 left in regulation.
 
Senior Edward Correa immediately drained a three to cut the lead in half, and after a missed layup and pair of failed free throw attempts on the other end, Correa made a running jumper with 12 seconds left to make it a one-point deficit for the Cardinals. However, waiting all the way on the other end of the court was the Bengals' Lovell Smith, who dunked uncontested. That made the score 86-83 in favor of Buffalo State.
 
Electing not to call their final timeout, the Cardinals quickly drove the ball past the center court line, and Jonathan Patron found Kyle Richardson in the far corner right in front of the Plattsburgh State bench.
 
Richardson, as he has done all season, came up clutch when it mattered, sinking a contested three and tying the game at 86. The Bengals would not get a good scoring chance in the ensuing possession, and we would head to overtime.
 
The extra five-minute period was all Plattsburgh State, and featured Edward Correa making two more three-pointers. With his five triples on the afternoon, Correa tied formal Cardinal great Anthony Williams for the most career three-pointers made in program history at 205.
 
Patron, who had a game high 29 points, connected on a layup and a free throw in the final minute of overtime to seal the deal for the Cardinals. Richardson finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Senior Xavier Thomas showed his hops on defense, collecting five of the six Plattsburgh State blocks on the afternoon.
 
Five players finished in double figures in points for Buffalo State, with Marmolejos leading the way with 22 points.
 
In snapping the Bengals' six game winning streak, Plattsburgh State upped its own win streak to five straight games, and move to first place in the SUNYAC at 4-0 and 9-2 overall. Buffalo State drops to 9-3 overall and 3-2 in conference.
 
The Cardinals will have arguably their toughest road trip next weekend, when they will face 8-2 Oswego and 9-1 Cortland. Friday's matchup against the rival Lakers is slated for 7:30 p.m.