BUFFALO, N.Y. – Despite outscoring Buffalo State, 28-25, in the second half, the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team fell to the host Bengals, 60-53, on Wednesday afternoon in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action at the Buffalo State Sports Arena.
 
While the Cardinals trailed by nine points heading into the fourth quarter, senior guard Kayla Doody (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac) drained a 3-pointer 1:35 into the period to cut the gap to six. First-year forward Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y./Saranac) hit a free throw and made a jumper to make it a one-possession game midway through the fourth, and the two teams traded points until a Couture jumper and a Doody free throw whittled the deficit to 55-53
 
Sophomore guard/forward Tashawni Cornfield made a trey on Buffalo State's next possession, and Cornfield further extended the gap with a made jumper with 2:11 left. Neither team scored from that point forward, and the Bengals escaped with the 60-53 win.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 5-9 overall (2-5 SUNYAC) with the loss, while Buffalo State rises to 7-6 overall (4-3 SUNYAC) with the win. The two teams will meet up again on Saturday, Jan. 22, at 2 p.m. at Memorial Hall.
 
The Bengals jumped out to an early lead, with a 3-pointer by Cornfield giving the home team a 9-2 advantage 3:25 into the contest. Sophomore guard Brinley Inglee (Hudson Falls, N.Y./Hudson Falls) and Couture hit treys on back-to-back possessions to pull within one, but Buffalo State rattled off 10 unanswered points to pin itself to a 19-8 cushion. Couture converted on an old-fashioned three-point play with 46 seconds remaining in the first to pull Plattsburgh State within 19-11 through 10 minutes of play.
 
A 6-0 run to start the second period gave Buffalo State a 25-11 cushion, but the Cardinals countered with six unanswered points of their own, and a layup by sophomore forward Caitlin Kolesar (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) drew the visitors back within eight. The Bengals went on another 6-0 tear, while junior forward Hannah Ruberto (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East), junior guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and senior forward Kelly Degnan (Irvington, N.Y./Irvington) each scored in a 6-0 Plattsburgh State surge. Senior guard Katie Villarini made a jumper for Buffalo State with three seconds left to give the Bengals a 35-25 lead heading into the locker rooms.
 
Buffalo State scored the first five points of the third quarter, but Plattsburgh State eventually netted six unanswered points. Ruberto whittled the deficit to eight with a layup midway through the quarter. The two teams traded points down the stretch in the third, and a Smith 3-pointer that pulled the Cardinals within five with 2:11 remaining served as Plattsburgh State's high-water mark in the period.
 
The Cardinals shot 26.9 percent (18-of-67) from the floor, while the Bengals were 39 percent (23-of-59). Buffalo State held a slight 48-45 edge in rebounds, while both teams turned the ball over 19 times.
 
Couture paced Plattsburgh State with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Inglee netted 10 points in 16 minutes coming off the bench.
 
For Buffalo State, Cornfield and Villarini scored 17 and 14 points, respectively, while first-year forward Adiya Jones pulled down 11 rebounds and added nine points.