PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Senior forward Taylor Clare (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) enjoyed one of the strongest games of her career, helping the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team wrap up the first half of State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play with a 62-51 win over Oswego State on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall.
 
Clare impacted the game in all of its facets, draining 14 points, pulling down 15 rebounds, posting six blocks, handing out two assists and coming up with two steals. She shot 6-of-12 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the line.
 
The Cardinals shot 35.1 percent (26-of-74) from the floor, including a 46.1 percent (24-of-52) clip on two-point field goals. Both teams pulled down 45 rebounds, while Plattsburgh State forced Oswego into 23 turnovers due in large part to its full-court press.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 6-10 overall (3-6 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Geneseo on Friday, Jan. 31, at 5:30 p.m. Oswego drops to 6-9 overall (2-7 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits Buffalo State on Friday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m.
 
After Oswego drew within 7-4 midway through the first quarter, Plattsburgh State closed out the stanza on an 8-2 tear. A buzzer-beating jumper by sophomore guard Ly'rell Walker (Yonkers, N.Y./Roosevelt) handed the Cardinals a 15-6 edge through 10 minutes of play.
 
The Lakers charged back in the second quarter, however, outscoring the Cardinals by an 18-8 margin in the frame. Following a made jumper by sophomore guard/forward Kelly Degnan (Irvington, N.Y./Irvington) that put Plattsburgh State on top, 21-10, Oswego netted 14 unanswered points, and junior guard Raiven Encarnacion buried a jumper with 1:10 remaining in the second quarter to give the Lakers a 24-21 advantage. Freshman forward Hannah Ruberto (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) broke up the spurt with a layup 43 seconds before halftime, as the Lakers took a 24-23 lead into the locker rooms.
 
Both teams traded baskets early in the third quarter, but Plattsburgh State pieced together a 9-0 run to surge ahead. Senior guard/forward Taylor Durnin (Lyon Mountain, N.Y./Northern Adirondack) made back-to-back fastbreak layups to pin the Cardinals to a 38-31 cushion. Oswego stayed within striking distance, and a layup by senior forward Sydni Eure with three seconds left cut the gap to 42-37 heading into the final regulation stanza.
 
Plattsburgh State scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter on the strength of five points from Durnin and two points from senior guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac), but Oswego eventually pulled within 53-46 with 4:06 to go on a layup by senior forward Morgan Wolanin. The Cardinals closed out the game by outscoring the Lakers, 7-3, in the final 1:42.
 
Beyond Clare, Durnin netted 15 points in 26 minutes coming off the bench, while Degnan and Doody chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Degnan posted eight rebounds and three steals, while Doody distributed five assists.
 
For Oswego, Eure recorded 15 points, 21 rebounds, five steals and four assists, while Wolanin and senior guard Quincey Zimmerman buried 12 points each. Wolanin grabbed eight rebounds and blocked seven shots, while Zimmerman nabbed six rebounds and tallied two steals.