PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - A hot first half for the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team pushed them to a 77-66 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) win over Buffalo State. Plattsburgh shot at a 47.2% mark in the first half, hitting seven three-pointers on 50% shooting as well, powering them to a 19-point halftime lead over the Bengals. 

Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) and Sheriff Conteh (Bronx, N.Y./Our Saviour Lutheran) each scored team-highs of 16 points, with Conteh pulling down five boards and Tabb recording eight rebounds along with a career-high six steals. Senior guard Myles Jones (Alexandria, Va./Blue Ridge School) had an excellent first half in which he hit three three-pointers, going on to finish the night with 15 points, and senior forward Erik Salo (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) had his second straight 10 rebound game, also adding two blocks. Sophomore point guard Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y./East Rockaway) was excellent as the conductor of the Cardinal offense, putting up 11 points, seven assists, three steals, and just one turnover over 32 minutes. Matt Parkinson was the game's leading scorer, putting up 20 points for Buffalo State, while also adding seven rebounds. 

After a strong first-half shooting, the Cardinals cooled off, finishing their game at an even 40% from the field and 40% from deep. Buffalo State was solid from the floor at 38.1%, but struggled from deep (2-13, 15.2%) and turned the ball over 17 times, which contributed to 20 Plattsburgh points. The Cardinals were also excellent in transition throughout the game, outscoring the Bengals 20-4 on the break over the game's 40 minutes of action. 

Plattsburgh improves to 10-13 (6-10 SUNYAC) with the win and now finds themselves just a game out of the sixth and final seed in the SUNYAC playoff race. They will host New Paltz and Oneonta next weekend, beginning with a 7:30 pm matchup on Feb. 17 with the Hawks before taking on the Red Dragons the following afternoon for Senior Day. Buffalo State falls to 1-21 (0-16 SUNYAC) and will host Cortland on Feb. 17 for the team's final home game.

The hot first half began just like that, with the Cards hitting three of their first four shots to go up 7-0 within the first two minutes of action. The team took their first 10-point lead not too long after, with Conteh connecting on a three-point shot to put his team up 18-8. A Sasha Vidrini (Trieste, Italy/LiceoRogazionisti) continued to move the Cardinal lead in a positive direction, putting them up 24-10 over the Bengals. With the offensive flowing, and the guys getting just about anything they wanted, the team pushed their lead to over 20 points, taking their largest lead of the game at the 3:22 mark when a Conteh layup put the team up 41-18. The Cardinals continued to hold onto the large lead heading into halftime, entering the break with a 49-30 advantage over the visitors. 

The second half saw strong adjustments for the Bengals that allowed them to work themselves back into the game, eventually dwindling the lead back down to nine points with just under 12 minutes of action remaining in the game. A jumper by Conteh and a three-pointer by Willard Anderson Jr. (Buffalo, N.Y./East) pushed the lead back to 14 points and kickstarted a 15-2 run, that was capped by a Conteh three, seeing the Cards lead once again by over 20 points. Despite the nearly insurmountable deficit, the Bengals did not relent, finishing the game on a 15-4 run, to cut the lead to 11 with 20 seconds to go, but with the large lead, Plattsburgh was able to run the clock out and secure the 77-66 win. 

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