Box Score NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – All of the makings for a victory were there for the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team in their season-opener.

The Cardinals held a healthy lead, points were plentiful from the free throw line, and a stifling brand of defense was on display for Plattsburgh State. Well, stifling aside from the final 8:13 of the game, that is.

Plattsburgh State allowed the wrong group of Cardinals to embark on a 23-8 run in the final 8:13, and Wesleyan College grabbed a 56-49 triumph over Plattsburgh State in the season opener for both clubs in the second game of the Williams College Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday night.

Even though Plattsburgh State shot just 12-of-60 (20 percent) from the field, the Cardinals who occupied the home team spot on the scoreboard were 21-of-26 (80.8 percent) at the free throw line, offsetting the off-shooting day.

Both squads appeared to have some early-season jitters to play through early on. After senior guard Brooke Reifinger rattled home a three-pointer to knot matters at six, neither team could put another point on the board for the next 4:39.
Preseason All-American Kathleen Payne finally broke the deadlock by swishing a jumper at 11:45 which started a 6-2 surge for Plattsburgh State.

Thanks to that small run, Plattsburgh State would not trail for the remainder of the first half. Wesleyan came close to grabbing the lead when KellyAnn Rooney sunk a jumper with 4:47 to go in the frame that made it 16-15, sophomore Stephanie Linder hit a free throw just at just under the three-minute mark in the half which kick-started an 8-0 Plattsburgh State surge to close the initial 20-minute period.

While Wesleyan was busy going 0-for-4 from the field and committing two turnovers in that span, Plattsburgh State increased its lead thanks to a layup by senior Tequilla Lloyd, a pair of free throws from Payne and a buzzer-beating three-point basket by Brittany Marshall at the very end of the half.

Armed with a 24-15 advantage when it returned to the floor for the final 20 minutes of the non-conference bout, Plattsburgh State was up to the challenge of keeping Wesleyan in check early on.

Cherkira Lashley drained a triple to cut Plattsburgh State's lead to 26-22, but jumpers from sophomore Devona Paul and Payne upped the Cardinals' advantage to eight once again.

Still, the Plattsburgh State lead would fluctuate between nine and four points thanks to a Wesleyan squad which was growing more confident by the minute. Reifinger found Marshall out on the perimeter, and the latter canned a long ball that gave Plattsburgh State a 41-33 lead before things went south.

Kaylie Williams poured in seven points during a 9-1 surge by Wesleyan which knotted the score at 42 with five minutes to go. During that time, Plattsburgh State went 0-for-4 from the field and committed a pair of turnovers.

Jenna Klaes gave her Cardinals' team the lead for good when she connected on a pair of free throws with 4:07 to go in the game. After Wesleyan built its lead up to six points, Payne made a final push to try and get Plattsburgh State back in the game. The Goshen, N.Y., product amassed the next five points by way of a triple and a pair of free throws to cut Wesleyan's lead to 48-47 with 1:36 to go.

After that, an offensive rebound and a put-back by Dreisen Heath gave Wesleyan a 50-47 lead with 1:21 to go. Payne couldn't hit pay dirt on the next two Plattsburgh State field goal attempts, and Wesleyan closed things out with strong free throw shooting in the final minute.

Marshall netted a game-high 14 points for the Cardinals and put in all eight of her free throw attempts. Payne added 11 for Plattsburgh State while Lloyd grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Lashley helped Wesleyan earn the win with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Williams added 13 markers for her Cardinals, which out-rebounded Plattsburgh State 55-45, but committed 24 turnovers compared to the 23 by Plattsburgh.  

Another difficult early-season tests looms for the Cardinals, who will conclude their two-game swing in Massachusetts with a matchup against Williams College which was one of the final four teams standing in the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament last season. Tip-off between the Ephs and Cardinals is slated for 1 p.m.