PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team completes the second-half comeback as they trailed by 14 at half-time. The Cardinals got their first lead of the game with over three minutes left in the second half and their second lead of the game at the 2:30 mark on a three by Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson). That three from Tabb put the Cardinals ahead for good as they held on for the comeback win.

Tabb led the Cardinals with 17 points and added six rebounds. There were also contributions from other Cardinals such as Dylan Trombley (Moriah, N.Y. / Moriah), Willard Anderson Jr. (Buffalo, N.Y. / East), and Ikechukwu Ezike (Brooklyn, N.Y./Paul Robeson). Trombley had 15 points including a clutch three down the stretch and six rebounds while Anderson Jr and Ezike both added 11 points.

For The Fighting Tigers, Kobe Long led all scorers with 26 points. Jermaine Wheeler had 12 points and six rebounds to go along with them while Iziah Pigott had 10 points and four rebounds.

The Fighting Tigers were extremely efficient from the field as they shot 47.1%. Plattsburgh did not have as strong a shooting night as they shot 38.2% but their defense made the difference as they forced 26 turnovers and got 25 points from said turnovers.

Plattsburgh rises to 1-3 earning their first win of the season and will travel to Vermont State University Lyndon on Sunday, Nov. 26 with a game start time of 2 pm. Cobleskill falls to 3-2 and will travel to Keuka College with a game start time of 5 pm.

The Fighting Tigers opened the first half with four straight points with buckets from Pigott and Chalik Oxley. Tabb got the Cardinals on the board with a layup that made the score 4-2 Cobleskill with less than 18 minutes to play. In the next few minutes of action, The Fighting Tigers pushed their lead to nine with a score of 11-2. After 10 minutes of action, the score was 19-12 after layups from Anderson Jr. and Wheeler. With a little over five minutes to play in the first half, The Fighting Tigers led by 10 points with a score of 26-16. Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) made a layup that cut the lead to eight but Long responded with a layup of his own that made the lead 10 once again. It was Long again as he made a three that extended their lead to 13 and made the score 31-18 Cobleskill. To end the half both teams traded buckets with layups from Pigott, Tabb, Chace Peterson, and Sasha Vidrini (Trieste, Italy / Liceo Rogazionisti) right before the buzzer. The score at halftime was 37-23 Cobleskill.

Pigott opened the scoring in the second half with a layup that made the score 39-23. With over 16 minutes to play, the Cardinals scored their first points of the second half on a dunk from Ezike after a deep outlet pass from Trombley that made the score 39-25. It was Ezike again as he made the score 39-28 on a three that prompted a Cobleskill timeout. Just under 14 minutes both teams exchanged buckets as Trombley made a putback layup, Wheeler made a layup, and Trombley a three that made the score 46-37 Cobleskill. Just under nine minutes, Infante made a layup that cut the lead to eight and followed it up with a free throw that cut the lead to seven. The Cardinals went to the line again as Tabb made one free throw that cut the lead to six as the score was 57-51 Cobleskill. With six minutes left, the Cardinals got a tough bucket from Anderson Jr. as he completed the and-one opportunity that cut the lead to three as the score was 59-56. It was Anderson Jr again as he tied the game at 61-61 with five minutes left in the game. The Cardinals took their first lead of the game at the 3:20 mark on a free throw from Tim Thomas (Manhattan, N.Y./Commonwealth Academy (Mass.)) that made the score 66-65. Peterson tied the game at 66-66 on a free throw shortly after. Tabb made a three that gave the Cardinals the lead again and put them ahead for good with less than three minutes to play. With less than two minutes, Trombley made a clutch three that extended the lead to five, but Oxley responded with a layup that cut the lead to three as the score was 72-69 Cardinals. Less than a minute to play, Tabb was fouled and made one free throw that made the score 73-69 and put the game away as the Cardinals held on for the win.