MADISON, N.J. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team outscored Bates College, 20-16, in the fourth quarter and shot 44.7 percent (21-of-47) from the floor in the game, as the Cardinals downed the Bobcats, 60-56, in the Larry Horner C'40 Rose City Classic consolation game Saturday at Drew University's Baldwin Gymnasium.
 
For her efforts throughout the weekend, senior guard/forward Taylor Durnin (Lyon Mountain, N.Y./Northern Adirondack) was named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
The Cardinals limited the Bobcats to 31.3 percent (21-of-67) shooting from the floor in the contest, including a 23.5 percent (4-of-17) mark from 3-point distance. Plattsburgh State fared well at the free throw line, shooting 82.4 percent (14-of-17), while Bates finished with a 40-31 edge in rebounds.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 1-1 overall with the win and next hosts St. Lawrence University in its home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 5:30 p.m. Bates falls to 0-2 overall with the loss and hosts Husson University next on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m.
 
While Bates' senior guard Melanie Binkhorst hit a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game, the Cardinals countered with eight straight points, and a trey by junior guard Hanna Whitney (Keene, N.Y./Keene Central) gave the Cardinals an 8-3 lead. The two teams battled back and forth the rest of the first quarter, with Plattsburgh State taking a 19-18 lead with 12 seconds left in the period on a layup by Durnin.
 
Neither team scored for the opening 1:56 of the second quarter until the Bobcats took the lead on a jumper by junior guard Julia Middlebrook. That kickstarted a modest 6-0 run for Bates, which saw all six points come from Middlebrook. The Bobcats continued to cling to the lead until freshman guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) scored twice in the final 1:31, and her second basket with 21 seconds left in the half tied the score at 25-all. That ended up serving as the halftime score.
 
Smith's four points at the end of the second quarter began a 10-0 run, and Durnin converted on a layup with 5:33 left in the third to hand the Cardinals a 33-25 edge. Bates tied the score at 35-all thanks to a five-point tear, and while a Whitney 3-pointer and a layup by freshman guard Kanesha Strider (Long Island, N.Y./Longwood) staked Plattsburgh State to a 40-35 cushion, the Bobcats scored the final five points of the third quarter, including a buzzer-beating jumper by sophomore guard Meghan Graff that leveled the score at 40-all to close the period.
 
Sophomore guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) scored on the first possession of the fourth quarter, and the Cardinals never trailed from that point forward and led by as many as seven in the stanza. Middlebrook nailed a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining in regulation to pull the Bobcats with 58-54, but Smith got fouled on the Cardinals' ensuing possession, and she knocked down both free throws to push the margin back out to six. Binkhorst made a jumper with four seconds left, and Plattsburgh State was able to run out the clock and come away with its first win of the young season.
 
Durnin finished with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor and 5-of-5 shooting from the free throw line to pace the Cardinals' attack, and she also dished out three assists and pulled down three rebounds. Senior forward Taylor Clare (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) grabbed a game-high 11 boards.
 
For Bates, Graff led the way with 19 points and three assists, while Binkhorst and sophomore guard/forward Ariana Dalia each finished with seven rebounds.