PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team dropped a 56-42 decision to Fredonia on Sunday afternoon in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action at Memorial Hall.
 
The Cardinals took care of the ball with only 12 turnovers in the contest, but they were ultimately hurt by 24.6 percent (15-of-61) shooting from the floor. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, shot 42 percent (21-of-50) from the field and held a slight 38-36 edge in rebounds.
 
First-year guard Hope Sullivan (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) and first-year forward Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y./Saranac) led Plattsburgh State with 15 and 10 points, respectively, while junior forward Hannah Ruberto (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) chipped in nine points. Fredonia was led by senior forwards Katie Pitcher and Lauren Mickley, who tallied 15 and 10 points, respectively, in addition to first-year forward Mackenna Dechwedowich, who scored nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 19 minutes coming off the bench.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 5-11 overall (2-7 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits SUNY Brockport on Friday, Jan. 28, at 5:30 p.m. Fredonia rises to 10-7 overall (5-5 SUNYAC) with the win and next hosts Buffalo State on Friday, Jan. 28.
 
The first quarter featured five lead changes in what wound up being a back-and-forth affair. After Couture gave the Cardinals a 4-2 advantage with a midrange jumper, the Blue Devils went on a 6-0 tear, and Pitcher knocked down a jumper with 6:11 left in the period to cap the run. The momentum seesawed back and forth, and Fredonia held a 14-13 lead through one quarter of play.
 
After Fredonia's sophomore guard Renee Park nailed a trey to open up the second quarter, Couture cut the gap to two with a pair of free throws. While the Blue Devils ultimately swelled their lead as big as 10 points, the Cardinals closed the half on a 5-0 run, with Sullivan draining a 3-pointer and Ruberto making a layup four seconds before the halftime buzzer. Fredonia led, 33-28, at the intermission.
 
Sullivan fired the opening salvo in the second half, burying a 3-pointer 1:03 into the third quarter. The Blue Devils scored six unanswered points to open up an eight-point lead, and the two teams traded points down the stretch, with the Blue Devils taking a 44-36 advantage into the fourth quarter.
 
The Blue Devils limited the Cardinals to six points in the fourth quarter to pull away. Plattsburgh State cut into a 13-point deficit with a 5-0 run, and a Sullivan trey with 1:16 to go trimmed the gap to single digits. Fredonia wound up scoring the final six points of the game, however, to close out the victory.