PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After going into halftime with a 48-27 lead, the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team showed no signs of slowing down in their 97-72 victory over non-conference opponent Vermont State University (VTSU) Johnson on Saturday evening. Senior guard/forward Ikechukwu Ezike (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Paul Robeson) led the offensive charge with 21 points to go with six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.

Junior guard Kareem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) had an impressive performance on the offensive end as well with 18 points while grabbing eight boards and dishing out a game-high six assists. First-year forward Nate Pondexter Jr. (Washington, D.C. / Archbishop Carroll) was also in double figures with 15 points to go with his team-high nine rebounds. Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) and AJ Williams Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Paul Robeson) contributed to the win with eight and seven points respectively while Tabb also had four assists and Williams Jr. had two. First-year Colin Hartig (Hohen Neuendorf, Germany / Neues Gymnasium Glienicke) registered five points scoring his first career points with a layup at the 1:40 mark.

For the Badgers, Raymond Baka led all players in scoring and rebounding with 28 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. Dashawn Hall and Matthew Carter had 15 and 12 points respectively while Hall led his team with four assists.

The Cardinals shot an efficient 42.5% from the field and 81.5% from the free-throw line while the Badgers shot an efficient 46.0% from the field but only shot 57.1% from the free-throw line. Neither team shot well from the three, but the Cardinals made seven while the Badgers only made two. The Cardinals won the rebounding battle 46-39 with 20 second-chance points and the turnover battle with only seven while the Badgers had 19 leading to 26 points off turnovers for the Cardinals. 

Plattsburgh State rises to 4-5 with the win and returns to SUNYAC play on a three-game road trip beginning with a stop at Fredonia on Friday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. VTSU-Johnson falls to 3-9 with the loss and next plays Maine Maritime on Monday, Jan. 6.

After the Badgers scored the opening bucket, the Cardinals scored five straight jumping out to a 5-2 lead at the 18:23 mark. The Badgers kept it close, taking a 6-5 lead at the 16:48 mark and tying the game at 9 at the 15:45 mark. A jumper from Pondexter Jr. followed by a jumper from Carter tied the game at 11 momentarily before a 6-3 run gave the Badgers a 17-14 lead at the 11:36 mark. Plattsburgh responded with an 8-0 burst that gave the Cardinals the lead for good and made the score 22-17 at the 9:04 mark. A layup from Baka broke up the run but the Cardinals responded again and went on another 8-0 tear pushing their lead to 30-19 at the 6:41 mark. The Cardinals ended the first half on a 7-0 run and went into halftime with a 48-27 lead.

A layup from Smith opened the second half followed by layups from Baka and Pondexter Jr. that made the score 52-29 at the 17:55 mark. After both teams traded baskets, it was another run for the Cardinals that extended their lead to 61-33 at the 14:57 mark. A three from Ezike gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the game at 29 before a 10-0 run for the Badgers cut into the lead and made the score 64-45 at the 12:33 mark. The Badgers' run wasn't enough as the Cardinals continued to respond and match them in scoring leading to a dominant 97-72 win.