OSWEGO, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State women's basketball fell on the road Friday evening against Oswego State in a low-scoring State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) affair, 53-48. Both teams battled hard defensively, with each team holding each other under 37% shooting from the floor and forcing over 20 turnovers each. 

Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y./Albany) led the way offensively for the Cards, posting 11 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in 26 minutes of action off the bench for Plattsburgh State. Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y./Saranac) recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Izzy Wilbur (Red Creek, N.Y./Red Creek) had 10 points and a career-high five steals. Sydney Hoefs was the game's leading scorer, putting up 15 points while also recording eight rebounds and five steals. 

Both teams were locked in defensively, holding each other to low percentages from the field and forcing several turnovers. The Cards shot 32.8% from the floor and only shot 16% from three, all well committing 23 turnovers. For Oswego State, it was much of the same, shooting just a bit better at 36.8% from the floor and 16.7% from deep, but committing more turnovers than the Cards at 26 giveaways. Despite Plattsburgh forcing more turnovers, the Lakers were able to grab 16 points of giveaways, while the Cardinals only were able to get 10. 

Plattsburgh moves to 6-12 overall and now sits at 2-9 in SUNYAC play, with another league matchup with Cortland on the docket for tomorrow, Jan. 28, at 2 pm. Oswego improves to 12-8 overall and 5-7 in conference, earning the season sweep over Plattsburgh. They will host Potsdam tomorrow at 2 pm in a league matchup in Oswego. 

The low-scoring affair was close throughout the first half, as neither team led by more than five points throughout the first two quarters. The Lakers jumped out to a 12-7 lead halfway through the first after a Julia Logana lay-in, but Plattsburgh closed the first on an 11-4 run, capped by a Walcott lay-in, to take an 18-16 lead into the second quarter. Tied at 28 with 1:41 to go in the period, the Lakers scored the final five points to enter halftime up 33-28. 

Oswego State came out strong from the halftime break, pushing their lead to 40-28 before Wilbur knocked a three down to bring her team back within single digits. Over the final six-plus minutes of the third, only six total points, four from Plattsburgh and two from Oswego, were scored as each team's defenses kicked into high gear, leaving the score at 42-35 Lakers heading into the fourth. Plattsburgh continued to claw their way back in the game, mostly using strong defense to hold the Oswego offense from extending their lead. As the fourth quarter continued, Kortney McCarthy (Peru, N.Y./Peru) was able to pull her team back within five points scoring four points in a 40-second span to bring her team within five. After nearly three scoreless minutes, Oswego pushed their lead back to seven. With over a minute to go, the Lakers responded to a Walcott layup with a Logana jump shot to go back up seven, but a McCarthy lay-in and subsequent steal and lay-in by Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y./Johnstown) pulled the team to within three points. Despite the strong fight from the Cards, the Lakers were able to push the game to a two-possession lead with made free-throws, leading to their 53-48 win.