For about 30 minutes today the SUNY Oneonta men's basketball team played No. 13 ranked Plattsburgh tight, but in the end, the host Cardinals pulled away for an 84-69 win in SUNYAC men's action.  The win for Plattsburgh kept them undefeated at 6-0 while the loss dropped Oneonta to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
 
"I thought we played tough for 30 minutes," said Head Coach Cameron Conover.  "To win a college basketball game, we have to play tough for 40 minutes.  We have to embrace hard work and get in shape.  This is a big week of practice for us."
 
Junior Ian Schultz (Clifton Park, NY/CBA) led Oneonta with 14 points in the game.  Sophomore Andres Rivera (Bronx, NY/Walton) came off the bench to contribute 13 points.  Oneonta's reserves outscored Plattsburgh's 31-18.
 
The Red Dragons trailed early 7-2 before a three-pointer by sophomore Sean Nolan (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) knotted the score at seven all.  Another three by junior Kevin Mackin (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) gave Oneonta its first lead of the game at 10-9 at the 15:11 mark.
 
After a Joseph Bull (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy) layup gave the Red Dragons its second lead of the game at 14-13, Plattsburgh put together a 14-9 spurt to grab a 27-22 advantage.  A pair of threes by senior Jonathan Patron fueled the Cardinals run.  Patron would lead all scorers in the game with 26 points.
 
Oneonta continued to battle coming back to tie the score once again at 34 apiece on a layup by sophomore Jacob Rodriguez (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy) with just under two minutes left in the opening half.  The Cardinals would convert a pair of free throws to grab a slim 36-34 lead at the break.
 
In the second half, the Red Dragons stayed as close as two points for the first five minutes before Plattsburgh slowly pulled away.  Midway through the final half, the Cardinals built its lead to 10 points and got it to 15 points a few minutes later, which ended up being the final margin of victory.
 
Oneonta will have a week to prepare for its next game, which is next Saturday at New Paltz.