PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After trailing by 12 at the 8:47 mark the Cardinals cut the lead to single digits multiple times but Knights pulled away late as the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team fell to Geneseo 80-66 in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play on Saturday evening at Memorial Hall. The Cardinals were led by Ikechukwu Ezike (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Paul Robeson) and Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) who both had 14 points each. Along with his double-figure scoring evening, Ezike had nine rebounds to pair along with a Plattsburgh State career-high seven blocks as he was effective on both ends of the court tonight. Tabb added four rebounds and two assists as well to his scoring tonight.

Other contributions for the Cardinals came from Dylan Trombley (Moriah, N.Y. / Moriah) and Jeremiah Smith (Brooklyn, N.Y. / East New York Family Academy) who both had 10 points. Trombley also had four rebounds to go along with two steals while Smith had three rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) put in seven points and grabbed eight rebounds.

For the Knights, Cole Kattan and Michael Gentile led all scorers with 19 points each with Kattan grabbing 11 rebounds to register a double-double. Josh Garelle and Robert Perocolosi were both in double figures as they each had 11 points.

The Cardinals shot a solid 41.5% from the field while the Knights shot slightly better at 43.9% from the field but both teams struggled from the free throw line as the Cardinals made 10 of 26 at 52.6% and the Knights 16 of 25 at 64.0%. The three-ball wasn't falling for the Cardinals as they made 1 of 11 at 10.5% compared to the Knight's 6 of 18 at 33.3%. The Knights pounded the glass as they outrebounded the Cardinals 50-36 leading to 13 second chance points compared to the Cardinals 10. Both teams committed 16 turnovers and got 16 points off those turnovers. Both teams battled on the defensive end as they both had 10 steals while the Cardinals also added a season-high 10 blocks.  

Plattsburgh moves to 7-7 overall (4-3 SUNYAC) and will be back in action next week on Friday, Jan. 19 as they travel to Oneonta for a 7:30 pm tip-off. Geneseo moves to 6-8 overall (3-4 SUNYAC) and will be back in action Tuesday, Jan. 23 as they host Buffalo State for a 7:30 pm tip-off.

The first half was fairly competitive as each team had runs that the other responded to. Both teams exchanged buckets multiple times to start the game as Kattan made a layup, Trombley a jumper, Gentile a three, Tabb a jumper, and Gentile another three that made the score 8-4 Knights with less than 18 minutes to play. From the 13:28 mark until the 10:26 mark, the Cardinals went on a 6-0 run that cut the lead to one and made the score 17-16 Knights. The Cardinals trailed for the majority of the half and tied the game at 19 with less than 10 minutes to play. From the 7:48 mark until the 6:38 mark, the Knights went on an 8-0 run before Tabb ended it with a jumper that made the score 29-23 Knights. The Knights stretched their lead to 10 with a little over three minutes to play. The Cardinals ended the first half on a 5-0 run that made the score 39-34 at halftime.

The second half started with a Kattan layup followed by a jumper from Ezike and a layup from Willard Anderson Jr. (Buffalo N.Y. / East) that made the score 41-38 Knights. The Knights went on a 6-0 run that ended at the 16:48 mark as Tim Thomas (Manhattan, N.Y. / Commonwealth Academy (Mass.)) responded with two made free throws that ended the run and made the score 47-40 Knights. At the 8:47 mark, the Knights stretched their lead to 12 on a free throw that made the score 63-51. The Cardinals battled back and cut the lead to single digits multiple times before Geneseo pulled away and got their biggest lead of the game (16) at the 1:44 mark. The Cardinals ended the half with made jumpers from Anderson Jr., Trombley, and Matt Kone-Bradshaw (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Adams Street Academy) as they fell 80-66.