OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's basketball team clinched a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) playoff berth on Friday night, taking an 87-74 SUNYAC win over Oswego State on the road. After putting up 50 points in the first half, the Cardinals continued their offensive showing in the second half ultimately winning 87-74 over the Lakers to earn the season series sweep. Senior guard Kevin Tabb (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) led all scorers in points with 24 points while shooting 100.0% from behind the arc and at the free throw line. Tabb also dished out five assists and grabbed three rebounds.  

Senior guard/ forward Ikechukwu Ezike (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Paul Robeson) had a strong performance as well with 16 points, eight rebounds, a block, and a steal. Senior guard Franklin Infante (East Rockaway, N.Y. / East Rockaway) led the Cardinals in rebounding with a career-high 10 rebounds to pair with 14 points for his second double-double of the season and seven assists and one steal. Damari Johnson (Binghamton, N.Y. / Johnson City) and Kareem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Thomas Jefferson) both had solid nights with nine and eight points respectively while Johnson had three rebounds and two assists and Welch had four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. First-year guard/forward Nate Pondexter Jr. (Washington, D.C. / Archbishop Carroll) contributed seven points, a rebound, and a block.

For the Lakers, Deacon Judd led his team in points with 21 to go with 12 rebounds for a double-double. Billy Reyes, Ahkee Anderson, and Gary McLane were all in double figures with 14, 13, and 11 points respectively.

The Cardinals had an excellent shooting night, shooting 54.5% from the field, 50.0% from three, knocking down 9 of 18, and 81.8% from the free throw line making 18 of 22. The Lakers were efficient from the field shooting 42.6% but only shot 16.0% from the three and 57.1% from the free throw line. The Cardinals dominated the glass 42-32 but it was the Lakers with more offensive rebounds leading to a 12-10 advantage in second-chance points. The Lakers recorded fewer turnovers on the night and got 18 points off turnovers while the Cardinals only had 12 points.

Plattsburgh State rises to 12-10 (9-6 SUNYAC) with the win and next play tomorrow, Feb. 15 when they travel to Canton for a 4 p.m. tip-off. Oswego State falls to 14-8 (10-5 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts Potsdam tomorrow, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m.

The Cardinals had a strong start to the first half, outscoring the Lakers 50-38 thanks to a 10-0 and 7-0 run. After Ezike started the scoring with a three-pointer, Judd responded with two free throws, and after back-and-forth play a layup from Judd tied the score at 15 at the 14:30 mark. The lead changed three times before a 10-0 tear from Plattsburgh led by Johnson gave the Cardinals a 33-24 lead at the 8:02 mark. Steven Bradley ended the run momentarily, however, a 5-0 burst from Plattsburgh pushed the Cardinals' lead to double digits. Another run for Plattsburgh this team led by Infante gave the Cardinals their largest lead at 50-33 but four straight points from Oswego to end the first half made the score 50-38 at halftime.

After Infante opened the second half with a layup, the Lakers scored five straight points and cut Plattsburgh's lead to single digits but Plattsburgh used a 4-0 burst and extended their lead to 59-47 at the 15:42 mark. Midway through the second half, the Lakers cut Plattsburgh's lead to single digits again after a three-pointer from Reyes and a layup from Bradley made the score 67-60 at the 9:39 mark. Oswego continued to battle back and used another 5-0 burst to cut the Cardinals' lead to four, however, Plattsburgh countered with a 7-0 run led by Tabb with five points that made the score 80-69 at the 2:29 mark and cushioned the Cardinals' lead. After a dunk from McLane cut Plattsburgh's lead to single digits once again, Tabb responded with a layup and pushed the Cardinals' lead to 82-71 putting the game out of reach as the Cardinals went on to win 87-74.