PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Junior guard Kareem Welch's (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) career-high 29 points on an efficient 64.3% from the field, 75.0% from the free throw line, and 100.0% from the three-point line lifted the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team to an 86-72 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) win over Oneonta. Welch also had seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) and Ikechukwu Ezike (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Paul Robeson) both reached double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively. Infante and Ezike also both grabbed six rebounds while Infante added two assists and Ezike two steals. Senior forward Ladan Graves (Pelham, N.Y. / Pelham Memorial) led the team in rebounding with eight to go with six points. First-year guard/forward Nate Pondexter Jr. (Washington, D.C. / Archbishop Carroll) had a solid performance with nine points, two rebounds, and two steals while senior guard Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y, / Thomas Jefferson) had eight points, a steal, and an assist.

For the Red Dragons, Kobe Long led the team in scoring with 21 points while Cam LaClair and Elijah Castillo both contributed 14 points in the effort. Caleb Brown led the team in rebounding with nine and Tyler Harts led the team in assists with four.

The Cardinals were efficient tonight shooting 45.5% from the field and 73.3% from the stripe and 36.4% from the three-point line. The Red Dragons shot better from the field at 49.1% and the three-point line at 38.5% but only shot 59.1% from the stripe. The Cardinals had the edge in rebounds 38-33 and dominated second-chance points 14-7. The Cardinals had fewer turnovers and took advantage of the Red Dragons' turnovers, recording 19 points off turnovers while the Red Dragons had 15. The Cardinals bench also had a strong contribution outscoring Oneonta 49-23.

Plattsburgh State rises to 8-7 (5-3 SUNYAC) with the win and next hosts New Paltz tomorrow, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. Oneonta falls to 8-7 (3-5 SUNYAC) and next travels to Potsdam tomorrow, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m.

The Red Dragons jumped out in front early with a 7-3 lead, but a 5-0 burst put the Cardinals ahead 8-7 at the 15:11 mark before a free throw from Delano Knox tied the game at 10 at the 13:35 mark. The Cardinals regained the lead after a 9-0 tear capped off with a layup from Tabb made the score 21-13 at the 9:51 mark. Six straight points from Oneonta brought the Red Dragons within two points, however, a strong 12-0 run from Plattsburgh led by Graves and Infante with four points each pushed Plattsburgh's lead to 34-21 at the 1:58 mark before the Cardinals went into halftime up 36-25.

The Red Dragons battled back in the second half after an 11-0 run cut the Cardinals' lead to 39-36 at the 15:30 mark and a free throw from Harts tied the game at 44 at the 12:28 mark. The Red Dragons stayed within reach, but a 7-0 run led by Sasha Vidrini (Trieste, Italy / Liceo Rogazionisti) with four points put the Cardinals back ahead 53-46 at the 10:15 mark. The Cardinals pushed their lead back to double digits and a free throw from Welch made the score 64-50 at the 5:57 mark and gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the game at 14. The Red Dragons had no momentum and trailed by double digits the rest of the way as the Cardinals went on to win 86-72.