PLATTSBURGH, NY - The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team used a big fourth quarter to pull away from Cobleskill and pick up a blowout win to open the Cardinal Classic on Friday night. The team outscored the Fighting Tigers 23-10 in the quarter and finished the game on a 16-0 run. The team played excellent defense as well all night, collecting 20 steals, the most for the team since they had 20 steals against NVU-Johnson back in December of 2019.
Kortney McCarthy (Peru, NY/Peru) had a game-high 17 points for the Cardinals, also adding a team-high five steals. Imani Walcott (Albany, NY/Albany) was outstanding in her collegiate debut, picking up 12 points and adding 12 rebounds, while also contributing three steals. Payton Couture (Redford, NY/Saranac) and Izzy Wilbur (Red Creek, NY/Red Creek) each posted12 points to contribute to the Cardinals' offensive attack. For Cobleskill, Emily Satterday led the way with a double-double performance of 15 points and 15 rebounds.
The Cardinal's outstanding defense was on full display as the Fighting Tigers managed to shoot just 30% (22-73) from the field and 8% (2-24) from deep. Plattsburgh forced 29 turnovers from the Cobleskill offenders, generating 29 points off those miscues. The Plattsburgh bench gave significant contributions as well as they outscored the Fighting Tigers 32-16 in bench points.
Plattsburgh moves to 2-0 with the win and plays Wesleyan tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. The Fighting Tigers will play Potsdam in the game beforehand, scheduled for a 1 p.m. start time. Potsdam defeated Wesleyan 72-68 in overtime in the other Cardinal Classic game on Friday.
The first half was a relatively close affair, as neither team shot the ball particularly well in the first two periods of action. Hannah Ruberto (Long Island, NY/Sachem East) gave the Cards their largest lead of the quarter, putting her team up 16-8 with 2:38 to go in the period, but Cobleskill chipped away, cutting the lead to four heading into the second period of play. A quick 6-0 run to start the second quarter gave the Cards their first double-digit lead of the game, as Walcott came in and was an immediate spark off of the bench. A 10-0 however, put the Fighting Tigers back in the game, as they held Plattsburgh scoreless for nearly five minutes. A three in the final minutes of the quarter by Wilbur helped give the Cards an eight-point advantage at the halftime break, as they ended the half on an 8-0 run.
As had happened in the game earlier, Plattsburgh once again took a big lead, and had their largest lead of the game at that point, as a Kathy Peterson-Ross (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) jumper put the Cards up 45-26 with 4:11 left in the third period. However, they were unable to pull away, with a jumper in the waning seconds of the third from Cobleskill making it an 11-point game. The Fighting Tigers were able to pull within five points in the fourth quarter, but would pull no closer, as a 23-4 run for Plattsburgh began with a McCarthy breakaway layup and led Plattsburgh to a blowout win. The team was able to hold the Fighting Tigers scoreless over the final four minutes to pull away and seal the Cardinal Classic win.
Peterson-Ross had seven points, seven rebounds, and four steals in the win, while senior guard Mya Smith (Wappinger Falls, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) had six points, six assists, and four steals.
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