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CONTACT: Matt Palisin,
Sports Information Dept.

DATE: Mon., Feb. 25, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Men's Basketball

Blue Devils draw Cards in SUNYAC quarterfinal

FREDONIA, N.Y. -- The Fredonia State men's basketball team closed out its regular season last week with three straight SUNYAC wins to propel them into the SUNYAC tournament.

Their reward is a trip to the North Country to face the No. 11 ranked Plattsburgh Cardinals (23-2, 16-0 SUNYAC) on Tuesday evening (7 p.m. at Memorial Hall). The Cardinals are two-time defending SUNYAC champs.

Despite a traditionally stingy defense, the key to Fredonia State's recent surge is its offense. In the past three games, the Blue Devils (9-16, 6-10 SUNYAC) have shot 56.8 percent (84 of 148) from the field. "When we struggled (prior to our three-game win) streak, we struggled offensively, especially in the second half," head coach Kevin Moore said. "We made some offensive adjustments to open things up and take the pressure off guys."

The result has been a dramatic -- especially in the second half. In each of the last three games, the Devils shot better than 60 percent in the second half -- 60.0 percent at Buffalo State, 66.7 percent vs. Oswego, and 68.0 percent vs. Morrisville State.

Fredonia State and Plattsburgh met earlier this season with the Cardinals claiming a 74-65 victory in Steele Hall on Jan. 11 en route their perfect conference season. The 16 wins without a loss is believed to be a SUNYAC record.

In the previous game, the Blue Devils shot a respectable 48.0 percent but allowed the Cardinals to sizzle the nets at a 65.8 percent success rate. Plattsburgh also made 29 trips to the foul line, compared to 13 trips for the Devils. And while the Blue Devils held a lead with just under 12:00 left in the game, Plattsburgh rallied for the win.

Moore likes the Devils' chances in the rematch. "Right now everybody is 0-0," he said. "We are playing loose and with a lot of confidence. The first time, we played our style for 28 minutes. Later in the game, we began to rush things, and that is when they broke away from us."

Defensively, the Devils have allowed 64.0 points per game -- third in the conference. They are making their first SUNYAC Tournament appearance since the 2002-03 season (an 81-64 loss at Buffalo State).

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SUNYAC Tournament bracket

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