CORTLAND, N.Y. – Junior guard Theresa Quinn (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) scored a team-high 14 points in 20 minutes coming off the bench, but the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team dropped a 78-54 decision to SUNY Cortland on Saturday afternoon at Corey Gym in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.
 
The Cardinals shot 37 percent (20-of-54) from the floor for the contest, but the Red Dragons held a 52-31 edge in rebounds, forced Plattsburgh State into 16 turnovers and shot 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the line. Cortland fashioned a .384 field goal percentage for the game on 28-of-73 shooting.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 7-16 overall (4-12 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNYAC-leading SUNY New Paltz on Friday, Feb. 21, at 5:30 p.m. Cortland rises to 19-3 overall (13-2 SUNYAC) with the win and visits New Paltz next on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 5:30 p.m.
 
While Cortland scored the first three points of the game on a 3-pointer by senior guard Beth Bonin, Plattsburgh State scored seven unanswered points on the strength of a layup by freshman guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham), a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) and two made free throws by sophomore guard/forward Kelly Degnan (Irvington, N.Y./Irvington) to seize a 7-3 advantage. The Red Dragons responded with six straight points to take a 9-7 lead, and while Quinn made a layup to tie the game, Cortland received a made free throw by freshman guard Casey Travers and a 3-pointer by junior guard Shannon McGuire to build a 13-9 cushion. Junior guard Hanna Whitney (Keene, N.Y./Keene Central) countered with a trey to draw the Cardinals within a point, while Cortland's freshman forward Nyia Longford made a layup to hand the Red Dragons a 15-12 advantage through 10 minutes of play.
 
The lead changed hands five times in the early going of the second quarter, and the Red Dragons wound up using a 10-0 run to construct a 29-21 cushion. Quinn broke up the run with a layup, but Cortland closed the stanza on an 11-4 surge to take a 40-27 advantage into the locker rooms.
 
Cortland continued to swell its lead early in the third quarter, with its high-water mark being a Bonin jumper that staked the home team to a 52-33 edge. Quinn answered with a 3-pointer, and while Cortland's senior forward Joka Oyefeso made a free throw, Quinn drilled a trey with 58 seconds left in the third to pull the Cardinals within 14. Oyefeso cashed in on a layup with 12 seconds left to give the Red Dragons a 55-39 lead heading into the final regulation stanza.
 
Plattsburgh State was unable to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, as the Cortland attack continued to fire on all cylinders. The Red Dragons' largest lead of the game (26 points) came when freshman forward Maggie Malone made a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left in regulation, while freshman guard Kanesha Strider (Long Island, N.Y./Longwood) scored on the Cardinals' final offensive possession of the game to spell the final score of 78-54.
 
Beyond Quinn, Smith recorded nine points and grabbed six rebounds, while Whitney registered five points, four rebounds and four assists.
 
For Cortland, Bonin drained a game-high 18 points, while McGuire and Longford scored 12 points apiece. McGuire grabbed 10 rebounds to complete the double-double.