GENESEO, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team defeated the Geneseo Knights in overtime on Friday night, taking down the home team 76-72 in a closely contested State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) battle. After playing to a 66-66 stalemate through 40 minutes, Plattsburgh used strong free throw shooting to close out the win in overtime, taking the season series against the Knights. 

Guards Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) and Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y./East Rockaway) were the Cards leading scorers on the night with 15 points each. Tabb also added three steals, while Infante had seven boards in 40 minutes of action. Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) had a big double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds, pulling down some big boards for the Cardinals down the stretch. Myles Jones(Alexandria, Va./Blue Ridge School) was also in double-figures in scoring, finishing with 13 points and sealing the game with a free throw in overtime. Cole Kattan was the game's leading scorer, putting up 25 points and 12 rebounds for a strong night in 40 minutes. 

Shooting numbers were just about even across the board for each team, with Plattsburgh shooting 35.8% from the field and 28.6% from deep while Geneseo shot 38.6% and 34.8%. The Cards, however, were able to gain the advantage or make up for worse numbers as they were excellent from the line, going 20-25 for an 80% clip while Geneseo had half those makes. Plattsburgh was also excellent in transition, scoring 24 points, while the Knights only managed three. 

The Cardinals improve to 8-12 and are now 4-9 in league play, as they will face Brockport tomorrow, Feb. 4, at 4 p.m. Geneseo falls to 9-11 and 6-7 in SUNYAC play as they are clinging to the sixth seed, with a two-game lead over Plattsburgh and Potsdam. They can extend that lead themselves as they take on Potsdam tomorrow at 4 p.m. at home. 

Both teams battled throughout the 45 minutes of action, playing closely for the entire game, with neither team holding a lead larger than seven points. Trailing 24-19 late in the first half, the Cardinal offense started rolling as Tabb connected on a fast break layup and a three-pointer two possessions later to tie the game. After a Geneseo three, Matthew Kone-Bradshaw (Brooklyn, N.Y./Adams Street Academy) hit a three of his own to tie the game back up. Another Knight bucket gave Geneseo the lead right back, but an Infante three-point play immediately after handed the lead to Plattsburgh. A few minutes later, a Sasha Vidrini (Trieste, Italy/Liceo Rogazionisti) three gave the Cards a 36-35 lead, but a 7-0 run to end the period allowed the Knights to head into halftime with a six-point advantage. 

The second half saw much of the same, with teams trading runs and blows. Tied at 56 with 6:48 to go, the Cards rattled off a 7-0 run to match their largest lead of the game at seven points, as Salo capped the run with two free throw makes. However, Plattsburgh would go the final six minutes without a bucket, allowing the Knights to end regulation on a 10-3 to send the game to overtime, with Kattan hitting the game-tying shot with 30 seconds left and each team just missing potential game-winners

In overtime, Genseo was able to get the first bucket, but after Salo tied the game on the next possession, Infante took over down the stretch, hitting two jump shots and two free throws, keeping his team up late. Jones sealed the game, coming up with a steal and hitting his second free throw attempt, putting Plattsburgh up 76-72 to give the Cards the win.

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