PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team kept pace with SUNY Oneonta through three quarters, but the Red Dragons outscored the Cardinals by a 26-18 margin in the fourth to seal a 69-56 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory over Plattsburgh State at Memorial Hall on Friday evening.
 
First-year forward Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y./Saranac) led the Plattsburgh State attack with 14 points, while junior guard Kanesha Strider (Long Island, N.Y./Longwood) netted a career-high 12 points in 22 minutes coming off the bench and added a career-high four steals. Junior guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) also reached double figures with 11 points.
 
The Cardinals shot 36.1 percent (22-of-61) from the floor, including a sizzling 53.3 percent (8-of-15) clip from 3-point range. The Red Dragons held a 47-32 edge in rebounds, while the two teams combined for 55 turnovers.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 3-4 overall (0-2 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNY New Paltz tomorrow at 2 p.m. Oneonta rises to 3-5 overall (1-1 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Potsdam tomorrow for a 2 p.m. contest.
 
Oneonta hopped out to a 9-1 lead early, while Smith broke up the run with a 3-pointer late in the first quarter. Oneonta's junior guard Margaret Nardelli nailed a jumper to extend the Red Dragon cushion to 11-4, and each team hit a 3-pointer to spell the 14-7 score after 10 minutes of play.
 
The Cardinals scored the first five points of the second quarter, with Strider hitting a jumper and Smith drilling a 3-pointer to cut the gap to two. While Oneonta led by as many as 10 in the quarter, a Strider trey and a layup by sophomore guard Brinley Inglee (Hudson Falls, N.Y./Hudson Falls) whittled the deficit to five at 24-19. Both teams traded points down the stretch, and the Red Dragons took a 28-22 lead into the locker rooms.
 
Oneonta controlled the early stages of the third quarter, using an 11-2 run to construct a 15-point advantage. Couture nailed a 3-pointer and sophomore forward Caitlin Kolesar (Hillsborough, N.Y./Hillsborough) made a layup to make it a 10-point game, and the Red Dragons kept the Cardinals at arm's length before senior guard Brittani Campbell (Rochester, N.Y./Edison Tech) made a layup and Strider buried another 3-pointer to pull Plattsburgh State within 43-38 heading into the final quarter.
 
The Red Dragons pulled away in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 20 points. Plattsburgh State continued to battle, with Smith accounting for five points in a 7-0 surge to pull the Cardinals within 13, and Oneonta's senior forward Brittany Claud and Plattsburgh State's Kolesar each made 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds to provide the final score of 69-56.
 
Oneonta was led by first-year guard Nadia Brown, who had 18 points and three assists. Sophomore guard Molly Stephens posted 16 points, five rebounds and four steals, while junior guard Olivia Dobrovsky tallied 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals.