PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Senior guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) posted a career-high-tying five steals, but the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team fell, 65-52, to non-conference SUNY Canton on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall in the Cardinals' 2021-22 season opener. It marked Plattsburgh State's first game in 623 days.
 
Plattsburgh State shot 25.6 percent (20-of-78) from the floor—including a 24.1 percent (7-of-29) mark from distance—while Canton shot 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the field and 81 percent (17-of-21) from the line. The Cardinals forced the Kangaroos into 28 turnovers running a tenacious press, while Canton owned a 61-34 edge in rebounds.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 0-1 overall with the loss and next visits Northern Vermont University-Johnson on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. Canton rises to 1-0 overall with the win and kicks off action at the Penn State Behrend Tip-Off Tournament against host Penn State Behrend on Friday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m.
 
The Cardinals started out hot early, receiving 3-pointers from Doody, sophomore guard Brinley Inglee (Hudson Falls, N.Y./Hudson Falls) and junior guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) to take a 9-2 lead through the opening 1:19 of play. Plattsburgh State kept Canton at arm's length before the Kangaroos used a 7-0 run to tie the game at 15-all with 3:56 to go in the first quarter. Junior guard Kanesha Strider (Long Island, N.Y./Longwood) connected on a 3-pointer to give the Cardinals the lead once again, and while Canton's junior guard Joie Culkin countered with a made jumper nearly a minute later to cut the gap to one, senior forward Kelly Degnan (Irvington, N.Y./Irvington) nailed a trey to push the Plattsburgh State edge back out to four. First-year point guard Seattle Lettau made a pair of free throws to pull Canton within 21-19 through 10 minutes of action.
 
Junior forward Hannah Ruberto (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) made a layup on the opening possession of the second quarter to put Plattsburgh State back on top by four, and while Canton scored on back-to-back possessions to tie the game at 23-all, Inglee and first-year forward Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y./Saranac) capped off a modest 6-2 Cardinal run to give Plattsburgh State a 29-25 advantage. That wound up being the high-water mark for Plattsburgh State in the period, as Canton went on an 8-0 surge to go up by four. A made layup by sophomore forward Deja Beauford (Hudson, N.Y./Hudson) with six seconds left in the half tied the game at 35-all heading into the locker rooms.
 
Inglee scored the first basket of the second half, but six unanswered Kangaroo points staked the visitors to a 41-37 edge. Plattsburgh State never led from that point forward in the contest, as Canton countered a Degnan layup with a 13-2 run to close the third quarter. The Kangaroos took a 52-41 cushion into the final regulation stanza.
 
Couture whittled the gap to single digits on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, but Canton netted six straight points to post a 15-point advantage. Doody hit a jumper and Beauford sank a pair of free throws to narrow the deficit to 58-47, and the two teams traded baskets down the stretch in the fourth, with Canton's senior forward Shanelle Borth scoring what wound up being the final points of the contest with 2:08 remaining.
 
Inglee led the Cardinal offense with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 shooting from the line in her collegiate debut, and she added three steals. Couture nearly posted a double-double in her first outing in a Cardinal basketball uniform, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds, while Doody stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, five assists and five steals.
 
For Canton, senior forward Chelsey Raven netted game highs in points (23) and rebounds (15) for a double-double, while Borth also achieved a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards. Junior guard Samantha Dayter provided a key role in the Kangaroos' game plan with seven rebounds, six assists and five blocks in addition to two points. First-year point guard Mya Hodge scored 10 points coming off the bench.