WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Senior forward
Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany) led the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team to a hard-fought 90-85 victory over Keene State in triple overtime. Walcott finished with a career-high in points and rebounds, scoring a game-high 34 points and grabbing a game-high 20 rebounds for her third double-double of the year. She also added a game-high three blocks and recorded a team-high two steals.
The Cardinals had two other players in double figures, as senior guard
Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown) posted a double-double as well with 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds to pair with five assists. Senior guard
Selma Deisz (Bekkestua, Norway / Nadderud VGS) fell just short of the double-double, contributing 10 points and eight rebounds.
Kayla Johannesen (Hyde Park, N.Y. / Our Lady of Lourdes) gave the offense some support, chipping in nine points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while
Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) set up the offense with a game-high seven assists to go with a career-high eight rebounds and four points.
Desiree DuBois (Champlain, N.Y. / Northeastern Clinton Central) and
Rosie Sculco (Amsterdam, N.Y. / Amsterdam) both added eight points to the winning effort.
For the Owls, Sydney Cassidy led the way for her team with 23 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Avery Stewart (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Ruby Dasaro (11 points, 11 rebounds) added double-doubles for the Owls as well. Valerie Luizzi led all players in steals with seven and added 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Overall, for the game, the Cardinals were solid from the floor, shooting 37.3% but only shot 26.5% from behind the arc. The Owls had the better night from the three-point line, shooting 27.5% but only shot 30.3% from the field. Plattsburgh dominated the rebounding battle (77-50) and second-chance points (24-9). On the other hand, the Owls won the turnover battle and collected 31 points off turnovers to the Cardinals' three.
Walcott scored the first basket of the game to get the scoring started and netted a layup at the 7:20 mark to make the score 7-5 Cardinals. After three lead changes, Plattsburgh used a 5-0 burst capped off by a Deisz layup to take a 14-11 lead with 2:04 remaining in the opening quarter. The Cardinals closed the quarter with a three-pointer from Sculco that made the score 19-15 going into the second quarter.
The second quarter was a low-scoring affair as the Owls battled back and took a 26-21 lead at the 3:07 mark thanks to a 9-0 run. The Cardinals responded with a run of their own, scoring eight straight points led by Walcott with six to take a 29-26 lead into halftime.
The Cardinals continued to pour it on, and after a three-pointer from Johannesen and a layup from Walcott, Plattsburgh led 40-30 with 7:09 left in the third quarter. The Owls chipped away and tied the game at 40 before the Cardinals ended the third quarter with four straight points and took a 46-41 lead into the fourth quarter.
Both teams exchanged three-pointers to open the fourth quarter, later followed by a three-pointer from Sculco as Plattsburgh led 54-46 at the 8:19 mark. An 11-0 tear gave the Owls the lead before Deisz ended the run with a jumper, and then a free throw from Keene State tied the score at 58. A late Keene State layup put the Owls ahead 64-62, but Plattsburgh answered as Walcott put in the game-tying layup to make it 64-64 and send the game to overtime.
The first overtime saw the teams trade punches, ending 69-69 after Walcott tied it with a free throw at the 39-second mark. The second overtime followed the same script, as Keene State buried a three-pointer to tie the game at 80 with six seconds left to send the game to a third overtime.
In the third overtime, it was all Plattsburgh after the Owls opened the scoring with a jumper at the 4:36 mark. Plattsburgh countered with a commanding 10-0 tear led by Wilson with five points to take a 90-82 lead with 0:06 remaining in the game. The Cardinals' defense made the difference, holding the Owls scoreless until a last-second three-pointer as Plattsburgh walked away with a 90-85 win.
Plattsburgh State rises to 4-1 with the win and is back in action tomorrow, Nov. 22, in the championship game against Williams at 3 p.m. Keene State falls to 3-2 and is back in action tomorrow, Nov. 22, in the consolation game against St. Joseph's (Conn.) at 1 p.m.
