Men’s Basketball Comeback Falls Short at SUNY Plattsburgh, 68-66

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The MCLA Men's Basketball team dropped a 68-66 decision on the road to SUNY Plattsburgh this afternoon. The Cardinals Kevin Tabb scored 25 points to lead all scorers, while a quartet of Trailblazers reached double-digits.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023
• Score: MCLA 66, SUNY Plattsburgh 68
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 5-5 (MASCAC 0-0) | SUNY Plattsburgh Cardinals 3-6 (SUNYAC 0-2)

HIGHLIGHTS

• The first half was the definition of a back-and-forth affair with five ties and nine lead changes. A three-pointer by Sasha Vidrini sent SUNY Plattsburgh to the half-time locker room with a three-point lead.
• The Cardinals extended their lead at the beginning of the second half, stretching it to as many as 11 points multiple times, including as late as the 5:00 remaining mark.
• There was no give-up in the Trailblazers, who used a 13-4 run over the final five minutes to cut the lead to two points and had a pair of opportunities to tie the game. A pair of missed foul shots with 27 seconds could have been the end, but an offensive rebound of the second shot by Dylan Morris-Gray allowed MCLA a second chance. After the offense got reset, a layup missed, and a final putback refused to fall, forcing the Trailblazers to foul with four seconds remaining. Two more missed foul shots by Plattsburgh gave MCLA a chance, but a long three couldn't find the mark.
• Quentin Gittens finished one assist short of a triple-double and had to settle for his fifth double-double of the year, scoring 16 points and pulling down 10 boards to go with the game-high nine assists.
• Dylan Morris-Gray and Jaxen Potter just missed their own double-doubles, finishing with matching 11 points and nine rebound lines. 
• Hayden Morris-Gray rounded out the MCLA quartet of double-digit scorers, finishing with 13 points.
• SUNY Plattsburgh's Kevin Tabb led all scorers with 25 points with a perfect three-for-three performance from deep and a clean four-for-four day at the charity stripe. Dylan Trombley added 11 points for the Cardinals as well.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: MCLA 21-65 / 32.3%, Plattsburgh 23-69 / 33.3%
• 3 Points / %: MCLA 8-32 / 25.0%, Plattsburgh 6-18 / 33.3%
• Free Throw / %: MCLA 16-25 / 64.0%, Plattsburgh 16-21 / 76.2%
• Rebounds: MCLA 50, Plattsburgh 47
• Points off Turnovers: MCLA 19, Plattsburgh 15
• Second Chance Points: MCLA 10, Plattsburgh 10
• Points in the Paint: MCLA 22, Plattsburgh 32
• Bench Points: MCLA 17, Plattsburgh 17

UP NEXT:

On Monday, MCLA will be back in action when they travel to Anna Maria College for a non-conference matchup with the AMCATS at the Fuller Activities Center. The teams will take the floor for a 6 p.m. tip-off.

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