Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – A particularly painful memory regarding New Paltz lingered within the minds of many members of the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team when those two teams tipped off on Saturday afternoon.

Last season in Memorial Hall, the Cardinals came oh-so-close to handing the eventual SUNYAC top dogs their first loss, but fell in overtime at Memorial Hall. This time around, the Cardinals made sure these rebuilding Hawks never had a ghost of a chance inside Plattsburgh State's home digs. 

On the strength of their largest first-half point total of the 2013-14 campaign, the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team (14-4, 9-2 SUNYAC) owned a 52-31 lead over New Paltz (4-15, 2-10 SUNYAC) at the half and would get ahead by as many as 33 as it decimated the defending SUNYAC champions via an 84-53 tally on Saturday afternoon in Memorial Hall.

Senior Kathleen Payne pumped in a team-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field to lead a quartet of Plattsburgh State student-athletes who wound up with 10 or more points. Brittany Marshall finished with 12 points while Devona Paul (11) and freshman guard Jax Miller (10, 3-of-6 three-point shooting) rounded out the Cardinals' leading offensive stars. Every player on the Cardinals' roster put in at least one point in the one-sided affair.

Even the best wordsmiths would have been hard-pressed to pen a better opening half than the one Plattsburgh State enjoyed. After New Paltz committed their first of 23 turnovers, Marshall wasted little time in spotting the Cardinals an early 3-0 lead with her first triple of the tilt.

Shannan Walker helped the Hawks draw even, canning a long ball of her own off of an assist from Courtney Irby who ran down a pair of offensive rebounds on the Hawks' second possession. Walker's three-point swish, though, was as close as the visitors would come to capturing the lead.

Missed shots were something of a rarity for the Cardinals in the opening stages of the bout, as the home squad hit the first eight shots it attempted. Plattsburgh State's lone miss during their 22-8 opening barrage came when Paul misfired on one of her five free throw attempts in the first 5:05.

Sporting their first sizable lead of the conference confrontation, the Cardinals would not allow their advantage to dip below 10 points for the remainder of the game. Marshall upped her team's edge to 31-14 before the Hawks strung together seven unanswered markers beginning with a long-range hit by Christine Rivera.

Ashley Riefenhauser chipped in a pair of free throws and Goldie Harrison wrapped up the Hawks' small surge with a jumper before Marshall joined forces with sophomore Stephanie Linder to set off on a 6-0 offensive run by the home squad.

Marshall sandwiched a pair of charity stripe swishes between two Linder layups of the fast break variety to put the Cardinals up 37-21 with 5:53 to go in the opening half.

Miller set up shop exclusively beyond the three-point arc in the first frame, firing in a trio of trifetcas through the course of the first 20 minutes. The Cardinals' lead hit 20 for the first time when Marshall hit senior Brooke Reifinger with a sharp pass before the Oswego, N.Y., banked in a layup that made matters 49-29 with 1:45 to go in the half.

Sullen and shell-shocked, the Hawks limped into their halftime locker room having allowed the Cardinals to shoot 62.5 percent (20-for-32) from the field in the first stanza. Plattsburgh State swarmed the Hawks in the opening half, limiting the visitors to a 30.3 percent (10-of-33) performance.

With the game well in hand, head coach Cheryl Cole took the opportunity to sub in players liberally. Freshman Jessica Dolan pulled down a team-high six rebounds in 17 minutes of action while the sophomore tandem of Ayomide Adedapo and Audrey Hughes chipped in six points each – all during the final 20 minutes.

Hughes' final field goal hit came after she shook her defender by employing some nifty footwork along the near elbow. Freshman Shanielle Chambers scored her first point as a collegian with a make at the foul line as 1:48 shimmered on the game clock.

Kit Small served as the lone bright spot in an otherwise ugly afternoon for New Paltz, as she tallied a game-high 23 points. 

All told, the Cardinals amassed a field goal percentage of 45.5 (30-of-66) while holding New Paltz to a 28.1 percent (18-of-64) mark. The Hawks attempted 34 free throws, but were only able to sink 14 of them – translating to a 41.2 percent afternoon from that distance.

Another lengthy road trip is the next assignment the Cardinals have been handed. Next Friday, Plattsburgh State will begin an important two-game road swing with a matchup against Brockport at 6 p.m.