PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team closed out its 2019-20 campaign with a 70-58 loss to SUNY Oneonta in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action on Senior Day Saturday at Memorial Hall.
 
Prior to the start of the game, the Cardinals honored their three student-athletes who are graduating this spring: sophomore guard Ly'rell Walker (Yonkers, N.Y./Roosevelt), senior guard/forward Taylor Durnin (Lyon Mountain, N.Y./Northern Adirondack) and senior forward Taylor Clare (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill).
 
Plattsburgh State finishes its season at 7-18 overall (4-14 SUNYAC), while Oneonta wraps up its regular season at 12-13 overall (9-9 SUNYAC). The Red Dragons locked up the No. 5 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament and will visit fourth-seeded Buffalo State in the first round on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
 
The lead changed hands 11 times in the first 7:10 of the contest before Oneonta used a 4-0 run to take a 15-12 advantage. While freshman forward Misa Dowdell (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Scholars Academy) cut the gap to one with a layup, the Red Dragons scored the final four points of the first quarter to seize a 19-14 edge.
 
Clare made a jumper on the first possession of the second quarter before Oneonta's senior forward/guard Leanne Corso responded with a 3-pointer. Sophomore guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) made a free throw and junior guard Hanna Whitney (Keene, N.Y./Keene Central) drained a trey to pull the Cardinals within two, but Oneonta staked itself to a 30-22 lead on the strength of an 8-2 run. Freshman forward Kara Oatman (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) capped off a 4-0 Plattsburgh State surge with a free throw 2:26 before halftime to narrow the deficit to 30-26, but Oneonta closed the second quarter on a 5-2 tear to take a 35-28 cushion into the locker rooms.
 
While Oneonta's freshman guard Olivia Dobrovosky opened up scoring in the second half, the Cardinals rattled off seven unanswered points, and Durnin whittled the gap to 37-35 with a layup. The Red Dragons continued to build momentum, which crescendoed with a 3-pointer by freshman guard Margaret Nardelli nine seconds before the third quarter buzzer that handed Oneonta a 53-42 lead.
 
An 8-3 Cardinal scoring spree to kick off the fourth quarter trimmed the deficit to 56-50, with Durnin capping off the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play. Oneonta extended its lead to 13 points before Plattsburgh State scored eight straight. Whitney's 3-pointer with 1:39 left drew the Cardinals within 63-58. The Red Dragons scored the final seven points of the contest to pull out a 70-58 victory.
 
Plattsburgh State shot 34.5 percent (20-of-58) from the floor, 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from 3-point range and 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the line for the game and forced Oneonta into 17 turnovers. The Red Dragons won the rebounding battle, 43-28, in addition to shooting 41.1 percent (23-of-56) from the field, 50 percent (9-of-18) from 3-point distance and 75 percent (15-of-20) from the free throw line.
 
Durnin closed out her career with 13 points, three rebounds and a steal, while junior guard Theresa Quinn (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) netted 12 points coming off the bench. Walker and Doody kept the offense running with five and four assists, respectively. Clare finished her career third on the program's all-time blocks list, tallying 150 rejections throughout the course of her tenure as a Cardinal.
 
For Oneonta, Corso and Nardelli scored 19 and 15 points, respectively, coming off the bench. Corso nearly completed the double-double with nine rebounds.