FREDONIA, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team picked up its second straight win on Tuesday afternoon at Dods Hall, defeating Fredonia, 61-57, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.
 
Fredonia's sophomore guard Renee Park drilled a 3-pointer with 3:03 left in regulation to put the Blue Devils up, 55-52. Junior forward Hannah Ruberto (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) pulled the Cardinals within one with a put-back layup on the Cardinals' next possession, and Ruberto buried another layup with 1:52 remaining to give Plattsburgh State a 56-55 advantage. The Blue Devils regained the lead after senior forward Katie Pitcher knocked down a pair of free throws.
 
Ruberto made a layup with 1:11 to go to put Plattsburgh State back up by one, and after a defensive team rebound, the Cardinals drew four consecutive fouls, with senior guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) eventually going to the line and making two foul shots. Fredonia tried to tie the game with a 3-pointer, but first-year guard Hope Sullivan (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) grabbed the defensive board and made a free throw to put the game on ice.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 5-8 overall (2-4 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits Buffalo State tomorrow at 12 p.m. Fredonia falls to 7-7 overall (2-5 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 12 p.m.
 
Fredonia dictated play for most of the first quarter. After first-year forward Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y./Saranac) scored on a layup to pull Plattsburgh State within 5-4, the Blue Devils scored eight unanswered points to take a 13-4 lead. Ruberto's layup with 1:26 remaining spelled the first-quarter score of 13-6.
 
Six straight Cardinal points to kick off the second quarter, capped off by a Couture free throw, tied the score at 13-all, and after the two teams traded points, Plattsburgh State closed the half on a 9-2 run, and Ruberto made a layup on the final possession of the second quarter to give the Cardinals a 28-19 advantage heading into the locker rooms.
 
Momentum seesawed back and forth between the teams in the third quarter, with the difference being a 5-0 Fredonia run in the final 53 seconds of the period to pull the home team within one (37-36) heading into the final regulation period.
 
The teams traded baskets to begin the fourth quarter until a 7-0 Fredonia run, capped off by a pair of free throws by senior forward Lauren Mickley, gave the Blue Devils a 52-46 edge. Sullivan and junior guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) each drained 3-pointers to tie the game, but Park's triple put Fredonia back on top, setting the stage for the waning minutes of the contest.
 
Plattsburgh State shot 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from the floor for the afternoon and 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from the line while holding a 43-33 edge in rebounds. Fredonia was limited to 35.5 percent (22-of-62) shooting from the field but did force the Cardinals into 22 turnovers.
 
Ruberto had a career game for the Cardinals, notching career highs in both points (16) and rebounds (10) in 29 minutes coming off the bench. Doody and Couture netted 14 points apiece, while Doody dished out five assists and posted five steals.
 
For Fredonia, Pitcher led the way with 15 points, while Park and first-year forward Mackenna Nechwedowich scored 12 points each, with Nechwedowich's total coming in 14 minutes of reserve action.