PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - The Oneonta men's basketball team fell 86-72 to Plattsburgh on Friday evening. The Red Dragons fall to 8-8 overall and 3-6 in the SUNYAC, while the Cardinals move to 8-7 and 5-2 in the conference.
"We showed some fight at times, but it's a forty-minute game," said head coach Cameron Conover. "We have to limit our turnovers and do better rebounding the basketball."
After a 5-0 Oneonta run, the Red Dragons took a 7-3 lead. Plattsburgh answered with a 5-0 span before a layup from freshman Cam LaClair (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) made it 9-8.
The teams traded leads until the Cardinals went on a 10-0 run to make it 21-12 with 9:51 remaining. Junior Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) scored inside to cut the lead to six before Kareem Welch converted a layup at 8:11 to make it 23-15.
Two consecutive Castillo baskets brought the score within four points. Senior Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) stole a pass from Ladan Graves, leading to a score from junior Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) to make it 23-21 with 6:03 remaining.
Plattsburgh responded with an 11-0 run to take a 13-point lead with under two minutes in the half. A pair of Castillo free throws made it 35-25, but a final Welch free throw gave the Cardinals an 11-point lead at the break.
Plattsburgh built up to a 14-point lead following a dunk from Ikechukwu Ezike. The Red Dragons fought back, with Castillo knocking down a jumper to spur an 11-0 run. Welch knocked down a triple at 15:14, and another Ezike dunk brought the lead back to eight. Knox scored on a fastbreak following a steal from sophomore Kobe Long (Rochester, NY/McQuaid) to make it 44-38. Long hit a three-pointer and scored a fastbreak layup at 12:52 to cut the lead to one. Another Long score at 11:57 tied 46-46, but the Cardinals answered with a Welch triple.
The Plattsburgh offense continued to roll and took an 11-point lead following a tip-in basket from Welch at 7:33. The Cardinals led by as much as 14 in the final minutes and never allowed the Red Dragons within single digits.
Long scored a season-high 21 points with three assists and two rebounds. LaClair added 14 points, seven boards, and three steals, while Castillo had 14 points. Knox finished with 11 points and three rebounds.
Welch finished with a game-high 29 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Franklin Infante added 12 points, six boards, and two assists. Ezike had 11 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
Oneonta looks to bounce back against Potsdam on Sat. Jan. 25 at 4 p.m.
