WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team fell to host Williams, 74-47, in the Morin Memorial Tournament Championship Game on Saturday evening at Chandler Gymnasium.
Offensively, the Cardinals got contributions from junior guards
Lauren LaFountain (Saratoga Springs, N.Y. / Saratoga Springs) and
Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) with seven and six points, respectively. Both recorded a steal, while Greek added four rebounds and three assists.
Selma Deisz (Bekkestua, Norway / Nadderud VGS),
Rosie Sculco (Amsterdam, N.Y. / Amsterdam), and
Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown) all chipped in five points to the overall effort. Senior forward
Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany) anchored the paint and led the team in rebounds with five, to go with a steal.
For the Ephs, Kathleen Smith led all players in points and rebounds, recording a double-double with 19 points and 19 rebounds. Michah Walton poured in 13 points, and Amaya Chase-Luthra finished with 10 points.
Overall, for the game, while the Cardinals didn't shoot as well from the floor (29.2%) or from behind the arc (30.4%), they found success at the stripe, shooting a perfect 100.0%, going 12-for-12. The Ephs had success all over the floor, shooting 42.3% from the field, 40.0% from the three-point line, and 83.3% from the free-throw line. The Cardinals lost the battle on the boards (44-28) and second-chance points (11-0). Plattsburgh recorded seven points off turnovers, and Williams finished with 18 points off turnovers.
A 12-0 run to start the first had the Ephs out in front quickly, as a layup from Greek ended the run and a layup from Deisz made the score 14-4 with 3:29 left in the opening quarter. A three-pointer from
Meredith Bush (Gouverneur, N.Y. / Gouverneur) cut the lead to single digits, but back-to-back baskets to end the first made the score 20-7 Ephs going into the second quarter.
The Cardinals' offense found a spark in the second quarter as
Kathy Peterson-Ross (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest) and Deisz each hit a three-pointer, but Plattsburgh still trailed 35-13 with 4:01 remaining. The Ephs led by as much as 28, but late in the quarter, Wilson outscored the Ephs 5-2 to cut into the lead and made the score 45-20 after two quarters of play.
Greek opened the scoring for Plattsburgh, kickstarting a 7-0 run that made the score 48-27 with 5:44 to go in the third quarter. Another run to end the quarter, jump-started by a Sculco three-pointer, made the score 55-32 at the end of the third quarter.
Plattsburgh had its best offensive quarter in the fourth, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.
Kayla Johannesen (Hyde Park, N.Y. / Our Lady of Lourdes) got the Cardinals on the board with two free throws, while a
Samantha Calahan (Highland, N.Y. / Highland) three-pointer and two
Katie Cunningham (Heuvelton, N.Y. / Heuvelton Central) free throws closed the quarter, as Plattsburgh fell 74-47.
The Cardinals fall to 4-2 and are back in action on Friday, Dec. 5, at 5:30 p.m. when the team hosts Fredonia in its State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener. Williams moves to 2-2 and next hosts Springfield College on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
