POTSDAM, N.Y.—Plattsburgh State (9-7, 6-4 SUNYAC) narrowly escaped Jerry Welsh Gymnasium with a 69-66 victory over the SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (1-16, 1-9) on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Bears stayed even or just out in front of the Cardinals for the first six minutes of the contest. A layup from freshman guard Bobby Kemokai (New Brunswick, N.J./Plattsburgh) put the Bears up 14-11 at 14:13.
- The teams traded leads but couldn't pull away over the next eight minutes. Back-to-back layups from freshman center Batualp Ozen (Ankara, Turkey/Furtah Prep) and sophomore guard Timothy Hardy (Portsmouth, Va./Ocean Lakes) gave the Bears a 23-20 lead at 7:01.
- Plattsburgh followed with a 10-0 run for a 30-23 advantage, but Potsdam answered with a 10-3 stretch for a 33-33 tie at the break. Kemokai had five of the points, including a three.
- After trading baskets to open the second half, the Cardinals went on a 12-6 run for a 54-45 lead at the 13:56 mark.
- The Bears used clutch shooting and strong defense over the next 10 minutes to spark a 20-6 burst and grab a 65-60 lead at 4:22. Sophomore guard Mike Hancock (Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley) had 11 of the points.
- The Cardinals slowly battled back to tie the game at 66-66 and went on to clinch the 69-66 win at the free-throw line.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Plattsburgh shot 43.1-percent from the floor to Potsdam's 34.6.
- The Cardinals edged the Bears in rebounds, 47-41.
- Hancock led the Bears with a career-high 24 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double.
- Kemokai finished with 16 points. Hardy contributed 11 points, seven boards, four assists and four steals.
- Senior guard Reem Welch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) led all scorers with 30 points and seven boards for Plattsburgh.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bears host Route 11 Rival SUNY Canton on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Prior to the contest, SUNY Potsdam Athletics will honor late legendary coach Jerry Welsh with banner raising ceremony.
