Box Score BUFFALO, N.Y. – Just three days removed from their best rebounding effort of the season, the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team found out they it wasn't the only SUNYAC squad who specialized in that particular category. 

Double-doubles from sophomore Devona Paul – who went off for a game and career-high 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds – and Kathleen Payne (17 points, 10 rebounds) were not sufficient enough to nullify a 56-42 rebounding edge and 42 points in the paint by Buffalo State which reclaimed sole possession of first place in the SUNYAC with a 72-65 triumph at the Buffalo State Sports Arena on Friday night.

By suffering just its second league setback of the 2013-14 campaign – both of which have occurred outside the walls of Memorial Hall – the Cardinals slip to 11-4 and 6-2 in conference tilts while the Bengals upped their record to 12-3 and 7-1 in SUNYAC skirmishes.

Aside from the two advantages by the Bengals as stated above, neither team held much of a statistical edge over the other. The Cardinals proved to be the more accurate brigade from long range (6-of-14, 42.9 percent) as well as from the charity stripe (13-of-18, 72.2 percent) when compared to their counterparts (1-of-9, 11.1 percent and 13-of-25, 52 percent respectively).

A fierce brand of basketball warfare broke out right from the opening tip as both teams battled through a scoreless 1:33 stretch to begin the bout before the junior-to-junior connection of Misha Green and Brittany Marshall delivered the first score.

The latter was the first of four different players to put in points for the visitors who had opened up an 11-7 edge by the time the first 5:55 was officially in the books. Unwilling to let the Cardinals go up by even more on their home floor, the Bengals responded with a 7-0 run consisting of scores solely by Mariah Norris and Mary Cain.

Needing to dig their way out of a 14-11 hole, the Cardinals turned to Paul to help them accomplish that task. The Blauvelt, N.Y., product single-handedly sustained Plattsburgh State's offensive effort by slinging in the next eight markers for the road warriors. Her final field goal of the half allowed the Cardinals to go back on top, 19-18, with 7:30 remaining in the opening frame.

 Directly after Paul's heroics allowed the Cardinals to grab the lead, the Bengals fired back with a multi-pronged offensive assault to take their largest lead of the clash. Over a span of 2:30, the Bengals amassed 11 unanswered scores – the last five of which came courtesy of Ashley Wallace – to open up a 29-19- lead as five minutes flickered crimson on the first-half clock.

Desperately searching for a suitable offensive response of their own, the Cardinals called on Stephanie Linder who came off the bench to put in the next five points for her squad. A triple by Payne coupled with a pair of free throw makes by fellow senior Tequilla Lloyd helped the visitors come within four, 33-29, at the halftime break.

The Bengals had no plans to squander their lead for a second team as the second half got underway with the home team upping its edge to 38-31 a little more than two minutes through the final frame. Payne, though, possessed a game plan of her own which was to try and lead the Cardinals to another triumph.

The Goshen, N.Y., product showed total disregard for whatever defensive formation the Bengals threw up in front of her and connected on back-to-back long balls as part of a 10-0 surge by the Cardinals. Paul drew the curtain on the largest Plattsburgh State surge of the game with another made layup to put the visitors up 41-38 with 15:49 to go in the game.
Whatever shooting prowess Payne put on display through that stretch transferred itself to the Bengals, who embarked on an 8-1 spurt to take the lead for good.

A layup from Lloyd shrunk the Bengals' lead to 46-44 with 11:35 remaining, but the home squad turned to their own imposing interior star to keep the Cardinals at bay.

Reigning SUNYAC First Team performer Bianca Smiley was more than up to the task of solving the Cardinals' defensive schemes, rendering them moot with a series of layups and jumpers in the painted area. By the time Smiley had wrapped up her 7-0 scoring exhibition, the Bengals enjoyed a 55-50 lead with 7:52 to go.

Each and every time the Cardinals were able to minimize the Bengals' edge to three points, Buffalo State was able to bring it back up to five. Smiley canned yet another short jumper to give her squad what turned out to be an insurmountable 67-60 lead with 2:37 to go.

Norris finished with a team-high 15 points for the Bengals. Smiley added 13 and a game-high 12 rebounds while Wallace also chipped in 13 markers of her own. 

Just eight points are all Payne needs to funnel through the nets at Fredonia State (9-5, 4-4 SUNYAC) on Saturday afternoon to become the all-time leading point producer in the history of Plattsburgh State women's basketball. The senior will recommence her hunt for a place in the history books and the Cardinals will aim to pick up their second conference triumph of the week when they tip off at 2 p.m. against the Blue Devils.