JOHNSON, Vt. – Head coach
Ben Sarraf earned his first win as a head coach on Tuesday evening, as the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team downed Northern Vermont University-Johnson, 87-82, in non-conference action at Carter Gym.
Down eight points with 5:50 to go in regulation, the Cardinals stormed back with a 9-0 run over the course of 1:03. Sophomore forward
Deja Beauford (Hudson, N.Y./Hudson) kicked off the scoring spree with a made layup before first-year forward
Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y./Saranac) converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play to trim the gap to three. Beauford converted on a layup before Couture knocked down a pair of free throws to hand Plattsburgh State a 72-71 advantage with 4:47 remaining.
The two teams traded points before Plattsburgh State pulled away for good on the strength of an 8-0 surge. Couture netted the final six points of the run and gave the Cardinals an 84-77 lead with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter. The Badgers never pulled any closer than five points down the stretch, and the Cardinals held on for an 87-82 victory. Plattsburgh State outscored NVU-Johnson, 30-18, in the final quarter.
Plattsburgh State rises to 1-1 overall with the win and kicks off action at the Cardinal Classic on Friday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. against SUNY Cobleskill. NVU-Johnson drops to 1-2 overall with the loss and next hosts Plymouth State University on Thursday, Nov. 11, at 5:30 p.m.
NVU-Johnson hopped out to an 18-6 lead in the first quarter before the Cardinals scored six straight points on a pair of baskets by Beauford and a layup by junior guard
Kanesha Strider (Long Island, N.Y./Longwood). Each team knocked down two free throws before junior guard/forward Halie Tillotson drained a free throw for the Badgers to hand the home team a 21-14 lead through 10 minutes of play.
Senior forward
Kelly Degnan (Irvington, N.Y./Irvington) cut the gap to five with a layup on the opening possession of the second quarter, and while the Badgers swelled the lead to double digits, Beauford converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play before junior guard
Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) hit a layup to draw the Cardinals back within five at 26-21. Both sides went bucket for bucket, and Plattsburgh State made it a two-point game with 1:02 left in the second quarter after Smith hit a free throw and first-year forward
Koree Stillwell (Peru, N.Y./AuSable Valley) drained a jumper. While NVU-Johnson extended the differential to 40-36 following a made jumper by junior guard Devyn Thompson, Couture hit a free throw to spell the halftime score of 40-37.
Plattsburgh State started the second half on a 6-0 tear, with all six points coming from Couture. The Badgers answered with six unanswered points of their own to regain the lead, and after Smith broke up the run, NVU-Johnson built an 11-point advantage with a 17-7 scoring spree. Beauford drilled a 3-pointer to whittle the Cardinal deficit to 64-57 heading into the fourth quarter.
Sophomore guard
Brinley Inglee (Hudson Falls, N.Y./Hudson Falls) scored the first basket of the fourth quarter 2:05 into the period, but the Badgers kept the Cardinals at arm's length before Plattsburgh State mounted its comeback midway through the stanza.
Plattsburgh State shot 45.8 percent (33-of-72) from the floor for the game and held a 45-35 edge in rebounds. NVU-Johnson shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61), including a 47.4 percent (9-of-19) mark from 3-point distance. The Badgers also knocked down 75 percent (21-of-28) of their free throws.
Couture and Beauford poured in career-high totals in points with 27 and 26, respectively, with Beauford contributing her total coming off the bench and Couture scoring 19 of her 27 points in the second half. Smith added 16 points, while Couture and senior guard
Brittani Campbell (Rochester, N.Y./Edison Tech) each pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. Smith and Campbell handed out five and four assists, respectively.
For NVU-Johnson, first-year guard Paris Atuahene netted a game-high 38 points, while first-year guard Kimora Parker added 20.
