PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Three Cardinals reached double figures in the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team's 71-50 win over Utica on Saturday evening at Memorial Hall. Senior guard
Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown) led the trio of double-digit scorers with a game-high 18 points to go with six rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.
The backcourt duo of
Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) and
Rosie Sculco (Amsterdam, N.Y. / Amsterdam) finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Greek added a game-high five assists and four rebounds and Sculco a career-high seven rebounds and two steals. Sophomore forward
Desiree DuBois (Champlain, N.Y. / Northeastern Clinton Central) had a solid outing with nine points, three rebounds, and two steals.
Selma Deisz (Bekkestua, Norway / Nadderud VGS) and
Kayla Johannesen (Hyde Park, N.Y. / Our Lady of Lourdes) both recorded seven points and a steal as Johannesen tied for a team-high in rebounds with seven. Another highlight was sophomore guard
Katie Cunningham (Heuvelton, N.Y. / Heuvelton Central), who scored the first points of her collegiate career in the Cardinals' winning effort.
For the Pioneers, McKenzie Simmons led her team in points with 16 and had a game-high three steals to pair with four rebounds. Vanessa Hall was also in double figures with 15 points and led her team in rebounds with seven.
Overall, for the game, Plattsburgh shot a strong 42.6% from the field, 33.3% from behind the arc, and a strong 92.3% from the stripe. Utica had a solid shooting percentage from the field, shooting 31.5%, but only shot 12.5% from the three-point line and 77.8% from the free-throw line. The Cardinals took care of the ball fairly well and finished with 22 points off 18 Utica turnovers compared to Utica's nine points off turnovers. Utica had a slight 37-35 rebounding advantage and had 12 second-chance points to the Cardinals' 10.
Plattsburgh opened the game with five straight points courtesy of a Wilson three-pointer and two free throws from
Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany), but back-to-back baskets from the Pioneers made the score 5-4 Cardinals at the 4:27 mark. After another Wilson three-pointer, Utica went on a quick 5-0 burst to take a 9-8 lead before ending the quarter with a layup as the Cardinals trailed 11-10 after one quarter of play.
Early in the second quarter, the teams exchanged points before a DuBois-led 5-0 run put the Cardinals up 25-19 with 3:14 remaining. Another run by Plattsburgh pushed the Cardinals' lead to 31-20, but Utica countered with four points to end the quarter and made the score 31-24 Cardinals at halftime.
Late in the third quarter, the Cardinals used a 7-0 surge, sparked by Wilson,
Kathy Peterson-Ross (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest), and DuBois, to go up 42-27 with 2:55 to go. Utica countered with a three-pointer, but the Cardinals locked in defensively, holding them scoreless over the final 2:24 to take a commanding 49-30 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals had their best offensive quarter in the fourth and used a 9-0 tear led by Deisz with five points to take their largest lead of the game at 69-46 with only 1:57 left in the game. In the final minute, Cunningham drove in for a layup, recording her first collegiate points and the Cardinals' last basket in the 71–50 win.
With the win, Plattsburgh State kicks off its season with a 3-0 record, marking its strongest start since the 2015-16 season. The Cardinals will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 5:30 p.m., kicking off a Plattsburgh doubleheader at St. Lawrence. With the loss, Utica drops to 1-2 and next plays Westfield State on Friday, Nov. 21, at the Westfield St. Tournament.
