BUFFALO, N.Y. – Hot shooting in the first half for the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team helped them turn the tide and take the lead. The Cardinals went into halftime up 10 and tacked on to that lead with a strong second-half surge as they downed the Bengals 83-64 in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup and earned the season sweep. The Cardinals had a balanced offensive game as four players notched double figures. Dylan Trombley (Moriah, N.Y. / Moriah) was the leading scorer for the Cardinals with 18 points to go with four rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

The next top scorer was Ikechukwu Ezike (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Paul Robeson) who poured in 13 points followed by Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) who had 12 points. Ezike was battling on the boards as he came away with eight rebounds which led the team while Tabb had three steals and two rebounds. Tim Thomas (Manhattan, N.Y. / Commonwealth Academy (Mass.)) was also in double figures with 10 points to go along with his three rebounds. Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) was a spark off the bench as he added eight points and two rebounds. Willard Anderson Jr. (Buffalo, N.Y. / East) was impactful on the defensive end with three steals which tied Trombley and Tabb for team-high and he also had seven points to go along with that.

For the Bengals, Matt Parkinson led all players in points with 19. Nigel Burch was also in double figures with 12 points to go with 12 rebounds to record a double-double.

Plattsburgh was hot in the first half as they shot 54.8% from the field and 50.0% from three and continued that shooting showcase as they shot 49.2% from the field and 53.8% from the three for the night making 7 of 13 threes. The Bengals shot 43.6% from the field and only 20.0% from the three making 3 of 15. Both teams had 20-plus attempts from the line as the Cardinals made 14 of 21 at 66.7% while the Bengals made 13 of 23 at 56.4%. The rebounding battle was close as the Cardinals had a slight 37-36 edge. The Cardinals took care of the ball and only committed 13 turnovers compared to 22 from the Bengals which was the difference in this game as the Cardinals got 30 points off turnovers and the Bengals only nine. The Cardinal bench was also a strong factor as they outscored the Bengals bench 29-11.

Plattsburgh rises to 11-11 overall (8-7 SUNYAC) and will be back in action tomorrow, Feb. 10 at 4 pm as they travel to Fredonia for their last road game of the season. Buffalo State falls to 0-22 overall (0-15 SUNYAC) and will be back in action tomorrow, Feb. 10 as they host Potsdam for a 4 pm tip-off.

The first half saw momentum swing both teams' way as the Bengals led by as much as eight and the Cardinals by 10. Ezike opened the first half with a three followed by a pair of free throws from Maley McCurty. Jumpers from Brendyn Cheng and Burch gave the Bengals their first lead 6-3 with less than 17 minutes to play. A Parkinson layup gave the Bengals their largest lead of the game so far at eight at the 13:20 mark. The Cardinals responded with five straight points that made the score 14-11 Bengals. A 7-0 run for the Cardinals from the 8:55 mark until the 8:16 mark tied the score at 20. A layup from Ezike at the 7:44 mark gave the Cardinals back the lead which they held for the remainder of the half and went into halftime up 44-34.

The second half is where the Cardinals picked it up and cruised to an 83-64 SUNYAC win. Bryce Williams opened the scoring in the second half with a free throw followed by a Cheng layup. The Cardinals didn't score until the 17:05 mark when Infante made a jumper that made the score 46-37 Cardinals. The Bengals cut the Cardinals' lead to four on multiple occasions at the 16:19 mark, the 15:45 mark, and the 15:02 mark. An 8-0 run for the Cardinals from the 14:42 mark until the 11:26 mark made the score 59-47 and put the Cardinals up by double digits once again. The Bengals tried to chip away as they cut the lead to single digits at the 9:48 mark and the 9:25 mark but the Cardinals responded in turn each time. The rest of the game saw the Cardinals in control as they didn't let up and led by as many as 20 points en route to their 83-64 win.