SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Senior
Tanner Tedesco recorded the game's only double-double with 12 points and 14 assists to lead five Garnet Chargers in double figures as the Union College men's basketball team got the 2026-27 season started with a 93-67 victory over Plattsburgh State University on Wednesday night at Viniar Athletic Center.
Tedesco flirted with a triple-double for Union (1-0) on the night, hitting 5-of-10 shots from the field for 12 points while dishing out 14 helpers and grabbing six rebounds. Sophomore
Cade Furse led all scorers with 19 points and added a game-high four steals, while junior
Matteo Cervone hit all nine shots (5 for 5 from the field, 4 for 4 from the line) on the way to a 14-point, seven-rebound game in his Union debut. First-year
Lino Sanchez chipped in 10 points and a game-high nine caroms in his collegiate debut, and junior
Will Yakoobian added 10 points, five dimes and four rebounds as well.
The Garnet Chargers dominated the Cardinals in the paint, outscoring Plattsburgh by 46 points (66-20) close to the rim and also posting a commanding 53-31 rebounding edge, including 16 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points.
Union spotted Plattsburgh a 5-0 lead to start the evening and the visitors still lead by one at 14-13 with 13:50 to go in the opening half. The first collegiate bucket for Sanchez in transition put Union ahead 15-14 with 12:36 on the clock and the home team never trailed from there, as back-to-back baskets by Cervone and junior
Harrison Collins cemented the lead.
The teams traded runs over the next few minutes, with Union getting the lead up to nine only for Plattsburgh to get the deficit back down to one with 5:27 left. The Garnet Chargers made the final move of the opening half, a 12-0 run featuring six points by Cervone that put Union up 46-31 at the half.
Union closed the door with a red-hot second half, connecting at a 64.5 percent (20 of 31) clip from the field. The home team scored on five of its first six possessions of the half to maintain a 15-point lead at the first media timeout, and the lead ballooned to 20 for the first time after a Sanchez layup with 13:52 left made the score 66-46.
The lead never grew smaller than 12 the rest of the way, as the Garnet Chargers continued to make their shots to keep the Cardinals at bay. The advantage got all the way up to 28 points in the final minute after the first collegiate points by sophomore
Jack Watson on two free throws.
Union will head to New York City this weekend for a pair of nationally ranked matchups at the NYC Collegiate Classic, beginning on Saturday with a 7 p.m. tip against #14 Tufts University.
