PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team used a big third quarter to pull out a 71-60 victory over non-conference SUNY Cobleskill on Friday evening on the opening day of the Cardinal Classic at Memorial Hall.
 
Down 36-29 at half, the Cardinals outscored the Fighting Tigers, 21-9, in the third quarter before outscoring Cobleskill, 21-15, in the fourth. During the third quarter, Plattsburgh State shot 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the field.
 
The Cardinals shot 34.7 percent (25-of-72) from the floor and 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from 3-point range for the game in addition to knocking down 77.3 percent (17-of-22) of their free throws. Both teams grabbed 45 rebounds, while Plattsburgh State forced Cobleskill into 30 turnovers, netting 23 points off those giveaways.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 2-1 overall with the win and squares off with Norwich University tomorrow at 3 p.m. to close out its action at the Cardinal Classic. Cobleskill drops to 1-2 overall with the loss and matches up with SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 1 p.m. In Friday's nightcap at the Cardinal Classic, Potsdam posted a 72-31 victory over Norwich.
 
The Cardinals started out strong in the opening 1:35 of play, with a 3-pointer by senior guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) giving the home team a 7-2 lead. The Fighting Tigers clawed back, however, closing the first quarter with seven unanswered points to lead, 21-15, through 10 minutes of play.
 
A fastbreak layup by senior guard Tylysa Martinez capped off an 8-0 Cobleskill run to start the second quarter, and the Cardinals cut the deficit to single digits after a modest 5-0 spurt. Sophomore guard Brinley Inglee (Hudson Falls, N.Y./Hudson Falls) knocked down a trey on the fastbreak to whittle the gap to 33-25. The two teams traded baskets until a made layup by first-year forward Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y./Saranac) with 21 seconds left in the half pulled Plattsburgh State with 36-29 at the intermission.
 
While junior guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) hit a 3-pointer on the opening possession of the third quarter, the Fighting Tigers scored baskets on three consecutive possessions to balloon their lead to 42-32. Plattsburgh State then went on a game-changing 11-1 scoring spree, and Inglee tied the game at 43-all with a free throw midway through the third. Cobleskill's junior guard/forward Anna Post broke up the run, but the Cardinals went on to finish the third on a 7-0 tear to carry a 50-45 advantage in the fourth.
 
The two teams traded points to open the fourth before the Cardinals surged ahead for good on the strength of eight unanswered points. Plattsburgh State closed out the run with three layups in quick succession, with Couture accounting for two of them and senior guard Brittani Campbell (Rochester, N.Y./Edison Tech) providing the other. Cobleskill was unable to pull back within single digits, and Plattsburgh State held on for its second win in as many games.
 
Couture led the Cardinals with 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, while Doody posted a 13-point, 11-assist double-double, with her 11 assists serving as a career high. Doody's 11 assists are tied for the fifth-most in a single game in program history, as Catherine Cassidy also dished out 11 assists when she did so against the Albany College of Pharmacy on Nov. 20, 2009. Smith and Inglee added 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Campbell netted career highs of 10 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double coming off the bench.
 
For Cobleskill, Martinez and Post each scored 14 points, while first-year guard Keyara Maxwell netted 12. Defensively, the Fighting Tigers received seven blocks and five rebounds from sophomore forward/center Hannah Cater in 20 minutes of reserve action.