PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team held a two-point lead with 3:46 to play and had a shot to win the game on its last possession, but the Cardinals fell to Buffalo State, 59-58, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall.
 
Down by one heading into the fourth quarter, senior guard/forward Taylor Durnin (Lyon Mountain, N.Y./Northern Adirondack) hit a 3-pointer with 8:56 left in the fourth to hand Plattsburgh State a 50-48 lead. Senior guard Liv LeBaron made a 3-pointer on Buffalo State's next possession to put the Bengals out in front, 51-50, but Durnin made back-to-back layups to give the Cardinals a 54-51 advantage.
 
LeBaron converted on a 3-pointer midway through the quarter to tie the game, but Durnin scored on a layup once again with 3:46 remaining to stake Plattsburgh State to a 56-54 cushion. LeBaron converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play to help Buffalo State regain the lead, and LeBaron added a layup with 2:57 remaining to extend the advantage to 59-56. While junior guard Theresa Quinn (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) knocked down a pair of free throws with 44 seconds left to pull Plattsburgh State within one and posted a block down on the defensive end to give the Cardinals the last shot, Plattsburgh State misfired on a 3-pointer with two seconds left, and the Bengals escaped with the victory.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 6-15 overall (3-11 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits Oswego State on Friday, Feb. 14, at 5:30 p.m. Buffalo State rises to 14-7 overall (10-4 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Geneseo on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 5:30 p.m.
 
Buffalo State jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first 4:18 of the opening quarter, but Plattsburgh State answered with an 11-1 tear, and back-to-back field goals from sophomore guard Ly'rell Walker (Yonkers, N.Y./Roosevelt) put the Cardinals up, 11-8. Junior guard Katie Villarini pulled the Bengals within one before junior guard Hanna Whitney (Keene, N.Y./Keene Central) extended the Plattsburgh State advantage to 14-10 with 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
 
After LeBaron scored 37 seconds into the second quarter, Plattsburgh State went on a six-point surge, and sophomore guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) made a free throw to extend the Cardinals' lead to 20-12. Seven straight Bengal points trimmed the margin to 20-19 before freshman forward Misa Dowdell (Far Rockaway, N.Y./Scholars Academy) cashed in on a layup to stop the scoring spree. Villarini tied the game with a 3-pointer, and in response, Dowdell made two-point baskets on consecutive possessions to stake the Cardinals to a four-point cushion. Buffalo State eventually gained a 31-29 lead with 1:33 left in the second quarter and took a 33-32 advantage into the locker rooms following a layup by sophomore forward Aliyah Braxton that came two seconds before the buzzer.
 
Whitney scored the first points of the third quarter 3:46 into the stanza with a 3-pointer, and after a LeBaron layup that tied the score at 35-all, Doody gave the Cardinals a 38-35 edge with a trey. The lead changed hands five more times down the stretch in the third, and LeBaron nailed a jumper with four seconds left to pin the Bengals to a 48-47 advantage heading into the final regulation stanza.
 
Plattsburgh State shot 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the floor and 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from 3-point range, while the Bengals shot 34.8 percent (23-of-66) from the field. The Cardinals' bench outscored their counterparts by a 29-12 margin, while Buffalo State held a 44-38 edge in rebounds.
 
Four Cardinals reached double figures, which included a career-high 10 points from Dowdell in 13 minutes coming off the bench. Durnin posted a team-high 12 points, which included nine in the fourth quarter, while Doody and Whitney each added 11. Whitney's came in 31 minutes of reserve action. Walker scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Doody, Walker, Quinn and freshman guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) all handed out three assists.
 
For Buffalo State, LeBaron led the way with 28 points, 15 rebounds and three steals, while Villarini netted 14 points and added five rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore forward Tori Hackett pulled down 10 rebounds, while junior guard Kendall Mills dished out five assists.