GENESEO, N.Y. – It came down to the last day of the regular season to determine the fate of the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team (14-11, 8-10 SUNYAC), who fell to the Geneseo Knights (19-6, 14-4 SUNYAC) 56-46 on Saturday afternoon.
 
In order to remain in playoff contention, Plattsburgh State not only needed to beat the Knights, but needed some help from the Potsdam Bears, also needing them to win in a matchup with the Brockport Golden Eagles Saturday.
 
Neither of those outcomes went the Cardinals way.
 
It was a relatively slow start for both the Knights and Cardinals, with each team exchanging a few buckets throughout the first quarter.
 
A three pointer by Kara Houppert late in the first helped the Knights to a 10-8 advantage after one.
 
The Cardinals picked up the pace early in the second, going on a 5-0 run to lead by as many as five points. The Knights however, responded with a run of their own and were able to obtain a 28-21 lead heading into halftime.
 
Plattsburgh responded in the second half, cutting the Geneseo lead from nine points to two points with roughly three and a half minutes remaining in the third.
 
However before a lead change could happen, Lea Sobieraski scored six of the Knights final eight points in the third as Geneseo grabbed a six point lead heading into the final frame.
 
Stephanie Linder open the fourth quarter with a three, and a Monique Jones layup quickly made this a one point game early in the final frame.
 
On the next Cardinal possession it was Linder who converted on a three point play and Plattsburgh found themselves with a narrow two point lead.
 
The Knights responded to the Cardinals lead change with an 11-0 run late in the fourth that Plattsburgh State would seal the Cardinal fate.
 
Despite the end result, the Cardinals shot 40% from the floor while the Knights shot 37%.
 
Linder finished with 10 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Cardinals. Allie Taylor scored a game high 12 points and grabbed five boards, while Jones tallied eight points, six rebounds and dished three assists.
 
Katie Durand led the Knight with 12 points and six rebounds. Sobieraski finished with 10 points while McKenna Brooks chipped in with nine points and seven boards.
 
With the loss the Cardinals season has come to a close after a year of many ups and downs.