Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Having already locked up a SUNYAC playoff berth with a win over SUNY Cortland the previous evening, the Plattsburgh State women’s basketball team had one more important job to do: give its senior class a grand sendoff in their final game in Memorial Hall.
That particular plan went off without a hitch.
Brittany Marshall recorded a game-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting and Kathleen Payne added 15 more as the Cardinals blasted Oswego State 65-47 in the final regular season game of 2012-13 for both clubs.
The Cardinals (14-11, 10-8 SUNYAC) – who have won their last five games - will be forced to wait until later tonight to find out what seed they are in the upcoming SUNYAC tournament. Although the locked up the No. 3 seed in the postseason tournament, the Lakers (17-8, 11-7 SUNYAC) were without the services of Evelyn Josbena who injured herself in pregame warm-ups.
Directly after an emotional senior day ceremony, the senior-to-senior connection of Catherine Cassidy and Dana Nucaro put the first points on the board as the latter banked home a layup thanks to an assist from the former.
Through the first 5:24 of the contest, Plattsburgh State controlled the tempo, but the Lakers used a 7-0 run to take their only lead of the game with 12:11 to go.
Jenn Robbins drilled a deep triple before finishing the mini-surge with a mid-range jumper that made things 14-10 Oswego.
Although it was senior day, one of the youngest players on the Plattsburgh State roster gave the Cardinals the lead for the rest of the game after the Lakers concluded their brief run. Freshman Devona Paul netted the next eight points for the Cardinals as part of a 12-0 run that helped Plattsburgh State increase its lead to eight, 22-14, with 6:34 to go in the frame.
Johni Coryea – the third member of the final-year triumvirate – gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the frame, 27-17, with a two-point jumper off of a great assist from Nucaro.
Oswego, though, used the remaining 3:39 in the half to go on a 10-2 run to cut Plattsburgh’s lead to 29-27 heading into halftime.
Although the Lakers were able to keep things close in the first 20 minutes, the second half belonged solely to the home squad. Payne and Marshall scored all but two points during an 11-0 run by the Cardinals in the first 6:05 of the half.
During that span, Plattsburgh State’s defense forced the Lakers into one uncomfortable situation after another as the visitors were 0-of-6 from the field while committing five turnovers during the span.
Sarah Hansen connected on an Oswego State layup that brought the Plattsburgh State lead down to seven with 9:52 to go, but the Cardinals up-tempo pace finally exhausted the Lakers as the home squad constructed a 22-5 run over the next 7:17 to put the game away.
Cassidy finished off the monster run with a triple from Coryea and the Cardinals were able to put things on cruise control for the final 2:35.
Plattsburgh State made the second half a nightmare for the Lakers as the visitors committed just five fewer turnovers (15) than they scored points (20) in the 20-minute period. Oswego State shot just 9-of-26 (34.6 percent) from the field in the second half while the Cardinals hit 16 of their 32 field goals attempts (50 percent) during that same span.
Payne completed her double-double bid with a game-high 10 rebounds, helping the Cardinals out-board the Lakers 40-37 in the contest. Nucaro finished with a great stat line of two points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Cassidy dished out a game-high five assists and scored five points of her own. Coryea chipped in two points, a rebound and an assist.
Lauren Nunziato was the only player for the Lakers to reach double-figures in the scoring column as she netted 13.
Depending on the outcome of the Buffalo State/SUNY Geneseo game on Saturday night, the Cardinals will be either the fifth or sixth seed in the SUNYAC Tournament. A win by Geneseo would mean Plattsburgh State would play Oneonta State while a victory by Buffalo State would send the Cardinals to Oswego to face the Lakers once again. Wherever the Cardinals are off to, their game will take place on Tuesday.
Be sure to check GoCardinalSports.com for ticket information, location of the game and opponent for the SUNYAC Tournament first-round bout.
