Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Through its first two home games of the 2013-14 campaign, offense hasn't exactly been hard to come by for the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team.

Five players recorded at least 10 points and senior Kathleen Payne finished one assist shy of a triple-double as the Cardinals routed Morrisville State 85-42 in the opening game of the Hampton Inn/Microtel Cardinal Classic in Memorial Hall on Saturday night.

Payne produced game highs in points (18), rebounds (12) and finished with two fewer assists (nine) than the entire Morrisville State (1-2) squad conjured up in 40 minutes of playing time. With its defense shining just as much as their offense, the Cardinals (2-2) held the Mustangs to 30.4 percent (17-of-56) shooting while amassing 30 points off turnovers by the visiting squad.

Things didn't start out exceptionally well for the Cardinals, who missed their first five field goal attempts and allowed the Mustangs to jump out to a 5-0 lead in the first 1:01 of the contest. Even though they weren't knocking down the shots in the opening minutes, Plattsburgh State received ample opportunities due to its significant height and rebounding advantage over Morrisville State.

On the first possession alone, the home team corralled a trio of offensive rebounds before sophomore Devona Paul finally put the Cardinals on the board by sinking a layup in traffic after receiving a pass from Payne with 1:56 gone by. 

Morrisville State made it 3-of-3 from the field when Jordan Anderson answered back with a mid-range jumper to extend the visitors' advantage to 7-2, but the host squad took control shortly thereafter.

Paul netted the first six points for the Cardinals before her classmate Stephanie Linder followed with the next three to give Plattsburgh State the lead for good. Letting their speed speak for itself, the Cardinals employed back-to-back fast break layups as well as a pair of layups from Tequilla Lloyd to take a 17-7 lead with 8:40 to go in the opening stanza.

As fluid as its offense was during the 15-2 scoring streak, the Cardinals' defense clamped down hard on the Mustangs, holding the visitors scoreless for a stretch of 9:18. The Mustangs ended their lengthy scoring drought when Akiella Parks knocked down a layup before Queen Holquin drilled a triple to trim the Cardinals' margin to 17-12.

Bringing their flashy ball movement to the forefront, the Cardinals racked up assists on seven of their final eight field goals in the half. Freshman Jessica Dolan capped off the 20-7 offensive blitz by the home brigade with a short jumper off yet another helper from Payne.

Sitting pretty with an 18-point cushion, Plattsburgh State didn't let up in the slightest through the course of the final 20 minutes. The Cardinals saw their comfortable lead inflate to as many as 47 points when Dolan located a wide-open Jax Miller in the lane who made good on another short-range jump shot with 6:38 to go in the frame.

With the outcome of the contest already certain, that opened the door for a number of other Cardinals to come off the bench in the final stages of the bout. Sophomore Audrey Hughes netted her first five points as a collegian in the one-sided tilt while freshman Shanielle Chambers and junior transfer Taylor Whyte both made their first appearances in a Plattsburgh State uniform.

Joining Payne in the double-digit scoring column were Dolan, Lloyd, Marshall and Paul who each finished with 10 points. All told, the Cardinals hit pay dirt on 35 of their 74 field goal attempts (47.3 percent) and finished with a rebounding advantage of 51-33 over the Mustangs. Of the 35 field goals Plattsburgh State made good on, 29 were assisted.

Jennel Paul led the Mustangs with nine points, three rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal.

With one convincing victory already in hand, the Cardinals now set their sights on becoming the 2013 Hampton Inn/Microtel Cardinal Classic champions. Standing between them and that goal is undefeated Lebanon Valley State (4-0) who bested Clarkson (2-2) 70-57 in the second semifinal game. Plattsburgh State and the Dutchmen will cross paths at 3 p.m. on Sunday.