PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Down nine points with 2:39 left to play, the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team cut the deficit to two with a 9-2 run that was capped off by a free throw by senior forward Taylor Clare (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) with 26 seconds left, but visiting SUNY Cortland held on for a 56-50 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory on Friday evening at Memorial Hall.
 
Clare enjoyed a strong game with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while senior guard/forward Taylor Durnin (Lyon Mountain, N.Y./Northern Adirondack) and sophomore guard/forward Kelly Degnan (Irvington, N.Y./Irvington) each netted nine points coming off the bench.
 
While Plattsburgh State shot 27.3 percent (15-of-55) from the floor on the contest, it knocked down 36.3 percent (4-of-11) of its shots in the fourth quarter and went 18-of-25 (72 percent) from the line. The Cardinals forced the Red Dragons into 26 turnovers, but Cortland controlled the glass with a 47-30 advantage in rebounds.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 5-10 overall (2-6 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts Oswego State tomorrow at 2 p.m. After the game, the Cardinals will be available to sign complimentary posters as a part of their annual CCYB "Meet the Cards" Game. Cortland rises to 14-1 overall (8-0 SUNYAC) with the win and stretched its winning streak to 12 games. The Red Dragons visit SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 2 p.m.
 
Cortland jumped out to a 9-2 lead and posted its largest cushion of the quarter when freshman guard/forward Sarah Tully scored with 20 seconds left to put the visitors up, 16-6. Junior guard Theresa Quinn (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) made a jumper at the buzzer to pull the Cardinals within 16-8 through one quarter of play.
 
Both teams were scoreless for the first 3:26 of the second quarter until Cortland's freshman guard Flo Hunte made the back end of a two-shot trip to the line. Plattsburgh State whittled the deficit to six on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Clare, and the two sides traded points until four straight Cardinal points trimmed the gap to four. Freshman guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) capped off the run with a fastbreak layup. Neither side was able to capture sustained momentum in the final minutes of the second stanza, and Cortland took a 24-20 lead into the locker rooms.
 
Cortland appeared in control for the first 7:36 of the third quarter, and the Red Dragons broke open a 12-point lead, their largest of the game, with 2:33 to go in the frame. Plattsburgh State chipped away at the deficit with six straight points on free throws from Smith, sophomore guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) and Durnin, with Durnin's pair of makes from the charity stripe narrowing the gap to 36-30 through three quarters.
 
While Cortland's sophomore guard Beth Bonin hit a 3-pointer 1:33 into the fourth quarter to put the Red Dragons on top, 39-30, the Cardinals scored six straight points, and a trey by junior guard Hanna Whitney (Keene, N.Y./Keene Central) brought Plattsburgh State within 39-36 with 6:50 to go. The Red Dragons eventually ballooned their lead up to 11 points before Plattsburgh State began its rally.
 
Bonin led Cortland with a 23-point, nine-rebound effort. The Red Dragons shot 32.1 percent (18-of-56) from the floor, 22.2 percent (6-of-27) from 3-point range and 73.7 percent (14-of-19) from the line on the evening.