Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Aside from head coach Cheryl Cole, no member of the 2012-13 Plattsburgh State women’s basketball team had ever been victorious in a confrontation with league foe Buffalo State.

On Saturday (Dec. 8), Kathleen Payne and Brittany Marshall decided it was time to change that.

Payne tallied 16 points and completed her first double-double of the season with a game-high 14 rebounds while Marshall poured in 19 points of her own to help the Cardinals earn a 71-60 victory over the Bengals at Memorial Hall.

With the victory, the Cardinals improved to 5-2 that includes a 3-1 mark in SUNYAC tilts while the Bengals – who entered the 2012-13 campaign ranked No. 23 in the nation – fell to 3-4 and 1-3 in league games.

Marshall got things going with a deep triple 34 seconds after the tip to give the Cardinals an early advantage before Ashley Wallace netted four consecutive markers for the Bengals to help the visitors take a 4-3 lead.

Unfazed, the Cardinals went on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 17-6 lead with 11:04 remaining in the half. The Plattsburgh State bench was the primary catalyst of the spurt, as Brooke Reifinger hit Devona Paul with a pinpoint pass that led to a layup before the freshman completed the three-point play at the foul line.

Tequilla Lloyd tallied four points from inside the painted area during the spurt while Marshall canned another long ball and a jumper in the painted area to round out the main scoring threats during the surge.

Not wanting to be outdone, the Bengals bench brigade responded with a 14-0 run of its own to give Buffalo State a 20-17 edge with 6:17 showing on the clock. Payne finally stopped the bleeding, going to the free throw stripe and swishing her next four attempts from that distance to give the Cardinals the lead once again.

Payne’s pair of excursions into the painted area was a prelude to a multi-pronged Plattsburgh State expedition into that section of the court as the Cardinals would put up their final 10 points of the half from inside. Buffalo State, though, had the answer time and time again and took a 28-27 lead into the halftime break.

The damage wrought by Buffalo State was thankfully kept to a minimum as Bengals star Bianca Smiley was encumbered with a pair of personal fouls in the opening five minutes of the battle.

Although they were without their leading scorer for the majority of the game, the Bengals banded together and controlled a vast majority of the second half as they led by as many as six points in the defensive slugfest before the Cardinals began to fight back.

After Marshall connected on another jumper, the Malone, N.Y., native located Reifinger in the far corner and fed her a pass before the junior connected on her first three-pointer of the afternoon.

Trailing by just two at this point, Johni Coryea got hacked on a hard-driving move to the basket and provided the spark the Cardinals were desperately searching for when she hit a pair of free throws to knot matters at 40 with 12:31 remaining. That was the start of a 6-0 run for the Cardinals who remained in control until Shay Jackson banked in a layup with 8:03 remaining in the game to give the Bengals a 50-48 lead.

That lead held by the Bengals ballooned to four before the Cardinals began chipping away at it. Lloyd went to work down low, and gave the Cardinals a 55-54 lead with 4:58 to go before the Bengals obtained their last advantage after a jumper by Kelly Kell.

Payne took the wind out of the Bengals’ sails on the next possession, banking in an acrobatic runner before heading to the free throw stripe to complete her three-point play. The junior found Reifinger in the corner again to extend the Plattsburgh State lead to five, and Dana Nucaro’s three-pointer with 1:31 left finished off the Bengals who were down by six and were forced to foul the rest of the way.

Plattsburgh State went five-of-six at the free throw line the rest of the way to earn the victory. Averagine 17 points per game heading into Saturday’s contest, Smiley was limited to just five points by the Plattsburgh State defense. Wallace scored a team-high 12 while pulling down 10 rebounds for the Bengals, but she was the only player in double figures for Buffalo State.

Another strong rebounding effort and a great afternoon at the foul stripe were two big reasons why the Cardinals came out on top. Plattsburgh State grabbed 54 rebounds and limited the Bengals to 42 while the Cardinals also hit on 20 of their 23 attempts at the free throw line.

The Cardinals shot just 32.9 percent (23-of-70) from the field while the Bengals were slightly better in that department, going 23-of-65 (35.4 percent). Lloyd was the final Cardinals in double figures, posting 10 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists.

After getting off to their best start since the 2001-02 season, the Cardinals will enjoy a lengthy holiday break before getting back to basketball once again. Saturday, December 29, will be the next time the Cardinals hit the hardwood as they head to New York City to face off against William Smith in the New York University Holiday Classic. The game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.