PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Facing off against one of the top 25 teams in women's basketball for the third time in 2014-15, the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team had No. 24-ranked SUNY Cortland on the ropes through the first half, but it was the Red Dragons who responded with a hefty second-half counterattack as the Cardinals fell 65-56 in Memorial Hall on Saturday.
The Cardinals enjoyed a lead of as many as nine points in the first half, but the Red Dragons outscored the hosts 38-27 in the second half to earn the victory.
Plattsburgh State slips to 6-7 and 3-3 in the SUNYAC with the loss while SUNY Cortland remains atop the league standings by way of a 10-2 and 6-1 conference record.
Ultimately, it was the Red Dragons' depth – as well as Brittany Dumas – which were the proverbial aces in the hole for the visitors.
A shooting percentage of 35.7-percent (20-for-56) for the home team couldn't get the job done for the home squad as the Red Dragons made good on 42.3-percent (22-for-52) of their shots. Additionally, the Red Dragons owned sizable advantages in both rebounds (39-28) and free throws.
For the game, Plattsburgh State went 6-for-6 at the foul line while the visitors countered with a 14-for-16 (87.5-percent) clip.
Six of Devona Paul's team-high 15 points came during the Cardinals' 6-3 run to open the game. The Red Dragons' sole advantage of the half came right off the bat when Brittany Rando rained down a three-pointer 10 seconds into the rematch of the 2013-14 SUNYAC Championship Tournament semifinal.
Inserted into the starting lineup for the second time in as many games, junior Allie Taylor scored five of her seven points during a stretch of 1:23 which allowed the home team to open up an 11-8 lead.
Already doing some good work on the interior, the Cardinals moved downtown to extend their first-half lead. Brittany Marshall began a string of three straight long balls with her first triple of the afternoon before the senior dished to Jax Miller twice for another two long-range targets.
Miller's two treys upped the Cardinals' lead to 20-11 with 10:10 to go, but Dumas scored the next six points for the Red Dragons on a series of jumpers and layups to make the visitors deficit 22-17 with 6:20 remaining in the half.
An uncontested layup and another long ball from Marshall pushed the Cardinals' lead back to 27-19, but downtown hits from Danielle Levine and Cassidy Chapko highlighted an 8-0 SUNY Cortland run which knotted matters at 27 with 1:29 remaining in the first frame.
Paul put the Cardinals on top heading to the half with a pair of free throw hits with 31 ticks remaining.
Stephanie Linder kicked off the final frame by hitting a high-arcing triple to push the Cardinals' lead to 32-27 – their biggest of the 20-minute period.
From there, though, the Red Dragons ripped off 11 straight points during a stretch of 2:47 to take a 38-32 lead. Erin Wolstenholme put in four markers during the offensive spree.
Tightening up their defense a couple of notches, the Cardinals managed to weather the storm with some tenacious ball hawking. On the offensive end, it was Linder who kept Plattsburgh State's hopes afloat as she laced two more trifectas to keep it a three-point margin with 13:03 remaining.
A personal 5-0 run from Paul which culminated with a three-point play put the Cardinals on top for the final time, 43-41, with 8:09 remaining.
Paul's three-point play, though, proved to be the last points Plattsburgh State would score for almost five-and-a-half minutes. Meanwhile, Dumas was taking over during the Red Dragons' stretch run. Of the 12 points the Red Dragons scored on their game-clinching 12-0 run, Dumas accounted for eight of them with a reverse layup and a pair three-point baskets.
Marshall finally stopped the run with her third triple of the afternoon, but with just 2:45 to go and the Cardinals down 53-46 there just wasn't enough time to mount a comeback.
Marshall finished with 14 points for the Cardinals while Linder added 12 on 4-for-8 shooting from three-point land.
Dumas registered game-highs in both points (20) and rebounds (12). Rando added 17 for the Red Dragons.
Plattsburgh State aims to break ground on a new winning streak on Tuesday night when the Cardinals welcome age-old SUNYAC and North Country rival SUNY Potsdam into Memorial Hall. That game is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m.
