NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Graduate student guard Dylan Trombley (Moriah, N.Y. / Moriah) surpassed 1,000 points tonight, but the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team's second-half rally came up just short against New Paltz as they fell 74-73 in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play. Trombley had 11 points on the night to go with four rebounds and one steal. 
 
Willard Anderson Jr. (Buffalo, N.Y. / East) led the Cardinals in points with 13 as four Cardinals reached double-figures. Anderson Jr. also led the Cardinals in steals with five to go with two rebounds and two assists. Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) and Jeremiah Smith (Brooklyn, N.Y. / East New York Family Academy) were also in double figures with 12 and 10 respectively. Tabb and Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) were making plays on the offensive end for the Cardinals as they led the Cardinals with four assists each. Smith was making plays on the defensive end as he led the Cardinals with five blocks to go with four rebounds. Ikechukwu Ezike(Brooklyn, N.Y. / Paul Robeson) and Tim Thomas (Manhattan, N.Y. / Commonwealth Academy (Mass.)) had eight and seven points while Ezike had four rebounds, two blocks, and one steal and Thomas had six rebounds and two steals. Sasha Vidrini (Trieste, Italy / Liceo Rogazionisti) also had seven points to go with three rebounds and one block.  
 
For the Hawks, A.J. Knight led all scorers with 19 points. Alex Krupinski was also in double figures with 12 points. 
 
The three-ball was a big factor as the Hawks made seven threes in the first half and 11 total at 45.8% compared to the Cardinals 6 of 16 at 37.5%. The field goal percentage was close as the Cardinals shot a solid 42.9 % and the Hawks a little better at 43.1%. Both teams made 13 of 19 free throws shooting 69.4%. The Cardinals won the turnover battle 15-19 and got 22 points off turnovers compared to the Hawks' 15. The Cardinals won the rebounding battle 34-30 but lost second-chance points 0-12. The Cardinals were stout defensively as they had nine blocks compared to the Hawk's six. 
 
Plattsburgh moves to 8-8 overall (5-4 SUNYAC) and will be back in action Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 pm as they too look to even the season series against Geneseo. New Paltz moves to 12-3 overall (6-2 SUNYAC) and will be back in action Tuesday, Jan. 23 as they travel to take on Cortland with a 7:30 pm tip-off. 
 
New Paltz controlled the first half as they made seven threes at 53.8%. Knight opened the half with a jumper followed by an Ezike layup. Both teams went scoreless from the 19:06 mark until Rylan Blondo made two free throws at the 16:24 that made the score 4-2 Hawks. Those free throws started a 7-0 run for the Hawks. Trombley ended the run after two made free throws and made the score 9-4 Hawks with less than 14 minutes to play. A Kobe Bogart free throw extended the Hawks' lead to 10. Infante cut the lead to single digits on a layup before Ethan Lucia made a three that made the score 23-11 Hawks with less than nine minutes to play. The Cardinals went on a 7-0 run from the 6:08 mark until the 3:42 mark that cut the lead to single digits again, but Knight made a three that made the score 32-22 Hawks. Vidrini made a three and Anderson Jr. a layup that ended the quarter for the Cardinals and made the score 41-30 at halftime.
 
Plattsburgh won the second half as they outscored New Paltz 43-33, but the second-half rally fell short. Thomas opened the half with a jumper followed by a Trombley three as the Cardinals cut the lead to six. The Hawks scored seven straight and made the score 48-35 Hawks with a little over 17 minutes to play. The Cardinals went on an 8-0 run from the 16:57 mark until the 14:14 mark when Knight and then Blondo made a three that made the score 54-43 Hawks. The Cardinals cut the lead to single digits multiple times but at 5:29 Krupinski made a layup that made the score 67-56 and pushed the Hawks' lead back to double digits. From the 2:34 mark until the 0:39 mark, the Cardinals went on a 7-0 run that made the score 71-67 and cut the lead to four. Free throws by Krupinski pushed the lead to six before a Tabb three at 0:25 seconds made the score 73-70 Hawks and cut the lead to three. The Cardinals forced the turnover they needed but couldn't capitalize offensively. The Cardinals intentionally fouled Blando who made 1 of 2 and Anderson Jr. got a three off at the buzzer as the Cardinals fell 74-73.