FREDONIA, N.Y. – Used to playing a fast-paced brand of high-intensity basketball, the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team ran into a Fredonia State squad which played just as quick as the Cardinals on Friday night.

By the time the final horn had sounded, the Blue Devils' speed had trumped that of the Cardinals.

Junior Devona Paul finished with team-highs in both points (17) and rebounds (nine), but was the only player to finish in double figures for the Cardinals as they committed 21 turnovers and shot just 22.2-percent (6-for-27) in the second half in a 63-51 loss to Fredonia State at Steele Hall on Friday night.

When the final horn sounded, the Blue Devils (4-6, 1-3 SUNYAC) owned a 52-42 advantage on the glass. Of those 52 caroms, 19 of them came on the offensive side of things. Neither team broke the 30-percent shooting barrier, but Fredonia State received 40 points off its bench compared to just 14 for the Cardinals.

What wasn't the problem for the Cardinals was the first portion of the conference battle. Just 3:51 into things, the Cardinals had amassed nearly 20-percent of their point total by opening things on a 10-2 surge. Paul worked down low to net the Cardinals' first four before Allie Taylor added three of her seven points. Jax Miller splashed one of the four Plattsburgh State treys during the opening salvo, too.

Weathering the storm, the Blue Devils turned to Kathryn Halloran to pull them closer to the visiting team. She scored six of the next eight points for the home team, and then turned over the reins of the offense to the speedy sophomore Alexis Cheatham.

Even with Halloran's minor outburst, the Cardinals' edge didn't dip below seven thanks to jumpers from Taylor and Jessica Dolan. With10:28 remaining in the opening half, the Cardinals owned a 17-10 edge but Cheatham changed that when she re-entered the game.

Of the final 18 points scored by the Blue Devils in the first half, Cheatham was responsible - by either scoring or assisting – for all but three of them.  

Even with Cheatham directing the flow of the Blue Devils' offense, the Cardinals had a response each and every time. Miller canned another downtown bucket after Cheatham connected on one of her three in the half, and Yazmin Lewis rattled home a short jumper in the painted area.

Fredonia knotted things at 24 with 3:29 to go in the half, but Paul and reigning SUNYAC Player of the Week Brittany Marshall each banked in a layup to put the Cardinals up by four. Jamie Curry made it a 28-26 game headed to the break when she swished a pair of free throws during the final minute.

To begin the second half, Paul twisted around down low and got another layup to fall and Stephanie Linder banged a three-pointer to push the Cardinals' lead to 33-26. From there, though, Fredonia State began to put its quickness and sharp passing on display.

Cheatham sparked a game-changing 12-1 run by the Blue Devils by canning a pair of triples in nearly the same spot in the far corner. Sabrina Macaulay put the home team on top for good when she hit a layup with 17:23 remaining.

Using an extended stay at the free throw line, the Blue Devils amassed their next seven points from that distance. Jacque Law made five of the seven Fredonia State foul shots during that stretch.

Despite that, the Cardinals trailed by just five with 12:28 to go. Paul chipped in three consecutive markers, but Law found Macaulay in the paint for a layup to stop Paul's run.
Each and every time the Cardinals tried to slice into the Blue Devils' lead, the quick hands of Fredonia State were right there to either force a turnover or net a quick basket.

After a highly acrobatic jumper by Taylor in the paint with 5:22 left, the Cardinals still trailed by just four, but that wound be the second-to-last field goal Plattsburgh State would score in the tilt. Fredonia used a 13-2 run to send the Cardinals to their first SUNYAC loss of the season.

Cheatham scored a game-high 21 points off the bench while Macaulay added 15 and a game-high 15 rebounds for the Blue Devils.

Linder and Taylor each finished with nine rebounds for the Cardinals. Taylor and Green were the second-leading scorers for the Cardinals, finishing with seven points apiece.
One final road test remains for the Cardinals this weekend, but they will have to go through a blizzard in order to get to it. Buffalo State is the opponent for Plattsburgh State on Saturday evening at 4 p.m.