MBB: State University of New York Athletic Conference

[Bengalsrule]

Another tough loss.  Maybe the toughest of the season.  Plattsburgh was 2 pts better tonite. Congrats to them.  Potsdam tomorrow.  Must get ready!!

[jdex]

J. Decker's 'three' at 0:04 spells win for Geneseo vs. Brockport. Decker with 23 pts(7x18fg). Mate J. Ringen who lit up Cortland for 38 pts earlier this week held to 10 pts(3x16fg). Ringen with just two points on 1x15 shooting through the opening 30 minutes. Port's C. Lyerly's two FTs at 0:14 tied the match at 57

[magicman]

Plattsburgh State  94   Buffalo State  92 

Another FAN-tastic game in the Queen City tonight between the Bengals and the Cardinals. I wish I could have been courtside for this one as it surely rivaled the overtime game I got to see a couple of weeks ago between these two fine teams. It's really a shame that someone had to lose this game because both teams played their hearts out and both teams overcame deficits that always make the victory that much sweeter. I feel the pain that the Buffalo State players, coaches and fans must be experiencing this evening.

As a Plattsburgh State fan I was fairly certain the Cardinals would be hard pressed to win this game. It was time for the YAC standings to tighten up and the trip to the western part of the state usually makes that happen more often than not. So when the Bengals came out and grabbed the early lead I was just hoping we could match their intensity and not fall behind like we did at Skidmore and Middlebury. Not even 5 minutes in, we were on the verge of a double digit  deficit as Buff State went in front 16-7 on a layup by Mike Henry.

The Cardinals would close the gap but the Bengals kept the pressure on, and managed to stay in front by at least 2 possessions. Still down by 8 points halfway through the period, Plattsburgh went on a 10-4 run to get within 2 points at the 8:30 mark. The Cardinals then got 5 straight points on a layup by Eli Bryant and a 3 pointer by Zack Coleman to give Plattsburgh their first and only lead of the half at 34-33 with 5:33 left to play.

Buffalo State's Dominic Grayer scored 8 points in the first half and they all came in the next 1:50 as he scored on a layup and then drained two 3 pointers  to erase the Cardinal lead and make it 41-34 with 3:22 remaining in the period. The lead would shift between 5 and 8 points with the Cardinals getting a final basket just before the buzzer as Bryant swished a jumper as time ran out, sending the Bengal into the break with a 5 point, 47-42 lead. It was the 2nd straight game that Bryant ended the half on a made basket as he beat the horn last Sunday against Geneseo.

Plattsburgh had 12 turnovers in the first half and got killed on the offensive boards as the Bengals scored 15 points off 2nd chance opportunities. The Cardinals did limit the Bengals to only 3 made baskets from long distance out of 13 attempts.

Buffalo State didn't suffer any letdowns during the halftime break as they came out and scored with a variety of inside moves. Every one of their first 6 baskets were layups and they opened up a 10 point lead, the largest of the game at 62-52. Back to back layups by Nico McLean followed a pair by Lovell Smith and with 15 minutes to go the Cardinals were in trouble.

Kyle Richardson chose that moment to make his presence felt. The senior forward, a leading candidate for Player of the Year honors in the SUNYAC scored inside, and was fouled on the Cards next trip down the floor. He made both free throws and after the Bengals came up empty on their end, Richardson went to the hoop for 2 more points to cut the lead to 4. Plattsburgh got a point from the line, then back to back layups from freshman Chris Middleton and Eli Bryant. Just like that the Cardinals had reeled off 11 straight points and had their 2nd lead of the night at 63-62 with 11:48 left in the game. Six lead changes and five ties would occur over the next 7 minutes, until the Cardinals made a move to put the game away. Tied at 80, Richardson scored inside for Plattsburgh, and when the Bengals came up empty, Plattsburgh got another layup and 1  from Jon Patron to make it a 2 possession game. It was the first time all night that the Cardinals had more than a 3 point lead. It didn't last long as Jordan Glover buried a three ball for Buff State. Richardson and Patron gave the Bengals the old 1-2 punch again on another pair of layups and the Cardinals had their biggest lead of the game at 89-83 with 2:15 left. McLean laid one in for the Bengals and Bryant countered with a jumper for Plattsburgh and the Bengals were running out of time.

Mike Henry scored for Buff State to cut the deficit to 4 points and after the Cardinals missed on their end McLean cut the lead to 2 points with another layup. He was fouled on the play but missed the free throw, however another offensive rebound by Mike Henry gave the Bengals a 2nd chance. A three point attempt was blocked by the Cards Zack Coleman. Again the Bengals tracked it down and McLean missed a 3 point attempt, only to have the ball end up in the hands of Lovell Smith. This time he made the layup to tie the game and was fouled, sending him to the line with 24 seconds left. He swished the free throw for the lead, after a Plattsburgh State time out.

With 24 seconds left I expected Plattsburgh to bring the ball across the half court line and call time out, even though they took one right before Smith hit the go ahead free throw. But they didn't and as the clock wound down, with Bryant standing about 4 to 5 feet in back of the 3 point line, I kept yelling drive, drive. Instead he threw one up from so far out that I was yelling no, no,....YES!...as it was nothin' but net. The Bengals had a chance at a desperation 3 point attempt that was short making the final score 94-92, and the Cardinals had their W.

Kyle Richardson once again led the Cardinals with his 10th double-double of the season as he was the game's high scorer with 24 points and the Cardinals' leading rebounder with 10 boards. He was 10x15 from the field, 1x2 from long range and 3x3 from the line.

Eli Bryant was 10x14 from the field and 2x5 from beyond the arc to give him 22 points on the night. He also had 4 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Eli's game winner was his 3rd basket at the end of a half in the last 4 halves he's played. He made a basket to end the first half tonight and had another one on Sunday against Geneseo to end the 1st half. They may start calling him Eli "Big Shot" Bryant in honor of another ex-Cardinal, All American, Anthony"Big Shot" Williams, who graduated back in 2008 from Plattsburgh.

Jon Patron almost had a double-double as he tossed in 14 points and had 8 rebounds. Ed Correa also was close to one, as he had 10 points and 8 rebounds. Zack Coleman had 7 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and a block. Xavier Thomas had 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

Freshmen Chris Middleton and Isaiah Johnson both contributed key minutes tonight with 10 minutes of court time for each guy. Chris had 5 points and 2 rebounds while Isaiah had 4 points and 2 rebounds.

The Cardinals shot a respectable 37x70 from the field (52.9%), 6x18 from beyond the arc (33.3%), and 14x21 from the line (66.7%)

Buffalo State was 33x82 from the field (40.2%), 6x24 from long distance (25.0%), and 20x30 from the line (66.7%)

The Cardinals outshot the Bengals, but the rebounding battle was in Buffalo State's favor by a 49-46 margin. The offensive boards really hurt as the Bengals doubled up Plattsburgh by grabbing 22 to 11 for the Cards. Buff State got 25 second chance points tonight. Plattsburgh did manage to get 19 second chance points of their own however.

Buffalo State had 5 players hit double figures and Mike Henry captured team honors in both points and rebounds. The sophomore guard had a double-double for the 6th time this season as he tossed in 22 points (8x13 fg,1x2 3's, 5x8 ft) and grabbed a game high 12 rebounds. 

Nico McLean had 20 points 7x17 fg, 0x3 3's, 6x11ft) 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

Dominic Grayer scored 14 points off the bench (4x10fg, 3x8 3's, 3x3 ft) and had 3 boards.

The Big House, Jordan Chateau, had 13 points (4x9 fg, 5x7 ft) and 7 rebounds. Lovell Smith had 11 points (5x11 fg, 1x1 ft) and 7 rebounds.  Jordan Glover had 6 points and 7 assists.

Bengals only got 20 points from their bench while the Cardinals gt 46 points from theirs. Last time these two hooked up the Bengals got 44 bench points and the Cards got 32.

Plattsburgh State improves to 14-3 overall and 9-1 in the SUNYAC. With Oneonta's loss tonight the Cardinals now enjoy a two game lead over second place Geneseo who is 7-3. Cortland and Oneonta are tied for 3rd place at 6-3. The Cardinals now travel over to Fredonia to take on the Blue Devils at 4:00 PM on Saturday afternoon.

Buffalo State is 11-7 overall and 5-6 in the YAC. They are now tied with Fredonia  for the 6th and final playoff spot. Oswego is in a virtual tie with these teams as well. The Cardinals can help out the Bengals by beating Fredonia tomorrow and Oswego will have their hands full with Oneonta who won't want to lose a 2nd game in a row. The Bengals can get well with last place Potsdam up next, on Saturday at 4:00 PM.       

[magicman]

Saturday Jan. 30  Four Games Scheduled

New Paltz State  at Cortland State        4:00 PM

The Hawks didn't have much luck yesterday against Oswego and I'll be surprised if they find any luck lurking around Cortland. The Red Dragons are coming off a nice win against Oneonta and they won't suffer any letdowns today. The oddsmakers favor Cortland by a 14 point margin and the Hawks will be hard pressed to keep it that close. Cortland leads this series 8-3 over the last 5 years and the Red Dragons won by an 81-50 score earlier this month. I don't think this one will be quite that bad but it will be bad. Cortland takes this one by an 81-62 final.

 
Oneonta State  at  Oswego State        4:00 PM    Featured Game of the Day

Oneonta had lost 8 of the last 11 games against the Lakers going into their meeting back on January 5th. I think they won by enough points that day, to cover the points they managed to lose by in those 8 losses. They defeated the Lakers by a 90-52 final score and that's the worst loss the Lakers have had in at least the last 10 years.

So will the Lakers gain a bit of revenge on the Red Dragons and win this game today? Or will Oneonta once again prove to be the superior team and handle the Lakers like they did previously? Both teams with plenty of motivation in the SUNYAC race as well. The Red Dragons were in 2nd place all alone a short while ago. Now they find themselves tied for 3rd and a loss today will drop them into 4th. Oswego is hoping to climb back into  playoff position as they currently occupy the 8th place position in the YAC. A win today could find them tied for 6th and a chance to make up even more ground as they play the teams directly in front of them next weekend.

The point spread favors Oneonta by 6 and this game should be a lot more competitive than the last one was. I can't pick the Lakers after the thrashing they took last time. Oneonta wins this one by an 83-72 final score.     


Potsdam State  at  Buffalo State        4:00 PM

This game should be another mismatch despite the Bears hanging with the Bengals a few weeks ago in Potsdam. Buffalo State will be angry that they lost another game in the final seconds and compound that with their tenuous playoff position and they know this is a game they have to win.

Potsdam was in yesterday's game right up till the final few minutes before Fredonia pulled away from the foul line. The Bears won't be in this game for nearly as long. The oddsmakers have made the Bengals an 18 point favorite. It may not be that close. Buffalo State 84 Potsdam State 64.     

Plattsburgh State     at  Fredonia State        4:00 PM

The Cardinals won't find the going quite as easy as it was the last time they met the Blue Devils. Fredonia was a winner of only 1 conference game at that time, a big upset of Geneseo. Now they have 5 conference wins, including another upset, this time over Brockport. The same Brockport team that beat Plattsburgh last week. The Cardinals are flying high again and the tough game was supposed to be the one against the Bengals yesterday. They need to take care of business here or they will go home with that 1-1 record they most often do, when they make the trip west.

With a solid 2 game lead on the rest of the teams in the YAC, that comfort zone would sure be nice to have going into a 5 game homestand. Fredonia will be looking to make amends for the pounding they took when they made the trip up North. The Cardinals were up by 30 to 40 points throughout much of the game and the final score was 86-54. The oddsmakers have adjusted their spread based on the improved play of the Blue Devils and the Cardinals are now listed as a 14 point road favorite. I'm taking the Cardinals and I think it will be a final score of 87-68.       

[All-Time]

Predictions for todays games

Cortland over New Paltz

Oneonta over Oswego

Buff. State all over Potsdam

Platts all over Fredonia

Enjoy the games

[jdex]

Oswego 44, Oneonta 31, half. Lakers 7x12 3s. K. Tyson 12 pts, one of three in double figures

New Paltz leads Cortland 37-31 at the half. Hawks shooting 57 percent from the field (16x28fg, 5x12 3s). K. Donovan off the sidelines for 10 pts(4x5fg). Eight NPers score. Cortland hitting 37 percent from the field. M. Kelly 9 pts

Plattsburgh 50, Fredonia 30, half

Buffalo State doubling up Potsdam 54-27 thru the first frame. Bengals already deploy 14. L. Smith 12 pts(4x5fg). Buffs 19x35fg, 7x16 3s

[magicman]

Plattsburgh 50 Fredonia 30

Cards up by double digits 8 minutes into the game at 23-13. The lead just kept growing after that. Coach Curle used his entire bench in the first half already. This game very reminiscent of the last game between these 2 when Plattsburgh was up 46-23 at the break.   

Live stats stopped working halfway through the period. so totals aren't available. Do know that Kyle Richardson had at least 14 points and Xavier Thomas had 9 for Plattsburgh. Jon Patron had 12 points

Dante Williams had 10 points and Ian Helps had at least  6 points for the Blue Devils

[magicman]

Buffalo State continues to pile on the Bears as they now lead 71-32. I was afraid this one could get ugly in a hurry. 14:47 left to play.

[magicman]

Cortland continues to struggle against the Hawks as New Paltz hanging on to a 50-42 lead with 13 minutes left to play in that one.

[magicman]

Oswego trying to gain a measure of revenge as they are still in front of Oneonta by a 66-56 score with only 5 minutes remaining.

[jdex]

New Paltz believes!!!! Shooting nearly 60 percent. Leads 53-42 at Cortland .......

Hawks' N. Paquette connects longrange at 10:28 .....NY by 56-45. Paquette with 16 pts(4x7 3s). Opens the game with a pair of treys

Cortland a bit desperate ........RDragons  twice within six points. Hawks answer ......4:33 to play, NP by eight

Estarfaa sits, returns, makes pair of 3-pointers to bring Corts within 65-61. BUT N. Paquette lands his own THREEEE .....68-61 at 2:41 ..

[magicman]

Fredonia refusing to fold as they cut the Cardinal lead to 58-43 with 12:30 left in the game.

[magicman]

Oswego gains a measure of revenge against Oneonta as they defeat the Red Dragons by an 80-72 final score.

[jdex]

Cortland back to 71-65 on M. Kelly hoop at 1:27 .....running out of time .....

NP K. Donowan with a trey at 1:03. TJ Hefele gets  a three at 0:53 ....74-68 ..

NP with one FT .....M. Kelly a trey at 0:25 ........75-71

[magicman]

Plattsburgh defeats Fredonia 89-75 in a game that wasn't really that close.