2024-25 SUNYAC Women's Basketball Tournament First Round

Fourth-seeded Plattsburgh (14-11, 10-8) at Fifth-seeded Canton (15-10, 10-8)

Tuesday, February 25, 2025 • 7:00 p.m. • Canton, N.Y. • Roos House

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  CANTON, N.Y. – The fifth-seeded Plattsburgh State women's basketball team is set to travel to fourth-seeded Canton in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament First Round matchup at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at Roos House. The Cardinals are looking to begin their journey for their second SUNYAC title in program history and first since 2015.

TICKET PRICING: General Admission tickets are $5, while tickets for children ages 12 and under are $3 and students from SUNYAC schools with valid identification will be admitted free of charge. Ticket sales will begin an hour prior to tip-off at 6:00 p.m. at the door with no advance sales and the only form of payment accepted will be cash.

ABOUT THE SERIES: Plattsburgh State is 3-2 against Canton all-time, with their last win against the Kangaroos coming this season on Jan. 17 in a 72-64 victory, but the Kangaroos won the most recent contest on Feb. 15 58-46, splitting the season series.  

ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State finished the 2024-25 regular season 14-11 (10-8 SUNYAC). The Cardinals clinched a playoff berth with Potsdam's loss to Canton on Feb. 15 and then won back-to-back games against Buffalo State and Fredonia to cap off their regular season. This is Plattsburgh's first appearance in the SUNYAC tournament since the 2014-15 season, and the last time the Cardinals were in the postseason, they came up just short in the first round against Oneonta 57-58.

Plattsburgh's offense runs through senior guard/forward Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y. / Saranac) and junior center Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany). Couture has been excellent offensively for the Cardinals, averaging 13.0 points per game (PPG). Walcott has been a strong presence in the frontcourt for Plattsburgh, averaging 11.1 PPG. Walcott has also contributed to the Cardinals' offense in the rebounding game, averaging 3.6 offensive rebounds per game, which is first in the conference, and 8.6 rebounds per game (RPG), which is fourth in the conference.

Junior guard Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown) and sophomore guard Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) have been solid options on the offensive end with both players recording multiple double-figure outings on the season, nearly averaging 10 PPG as both average 9.6 PPG.

The Cardinals' defense is led by Greek and Walcott, who have both caused havoc on the defensive end in the paint and on the wing, respectively. Walcott averages 1.6 blocks per game (BPG), which is third in the conference, and Greek leads the team in steals with 40, averaging 1.7 steals per game (SPG).

Couture, Junior guard/forward Kathy Peterson-Ross (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest), and first-year guard Kayla Johannesen (Hyde Park, N.Y. / Our Lady of Lourdes) have all helped the Cardinals clean up the glass defensively with Couture leading the way with 6.7 defensive rebounds per game which is third in the conference and 8.0 RPG which is fifth in the conference. Peterson-Ross averages 4.4 RPG, while Johannesen averages 4.1.  

Fourth-year head coach Ben Sarraf will make his first appearance in the SUNYAC Tournament after previously being on the bench as an assistant the last time Plattsburgh State made the postseason during the 2014-15 season.

ABOUT THE KANGAROOS: The Canton Kangaroos finished the 2024-25 regular season 15-10 (10-8 SUNYAC) and split the season series against Plattsburgh, winning 58-46 when they hosted the Cardinals on Feb. 15. The Kangaroos had a strong February, going 5-2 in conference play coming into the SUNYAC tournament. This is Canton's first year in the SUNYAC, but while Canton was in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), they made three straight appearances in the NAC Tournament from 2021-2024.

Canton has a well-rounded offense with four players averaging double-figures on the year led by Natalie Bartle, who averages 14.5 PPG, which is tied for first in the conference. Paired with Sierra Pabo in the backcourt, who is having a strong sophomore season averaging 12.6 PPG. Kat McRobbie-Taru has also been a factor offensively, averaging 11.0 PPG, while Hope Aniceto rounds out the Kangaroos offensive core with 10.8 PPG.

Defensively, the Kangaroos are led by Bartle and McRobbie-Taru. Bartle has been a compliment to the Kangaroos' offense as well as their defense, leading the team with 84 steals and averaging 3.8, which is first in the conference. This season, McRobbie-Taru has recorded 33 blocks, averaging 1.3, which is fourth in the conference.

Canton is led by fifth-year head coach Chris Klassen, who is making his first SUNYAC tournament appearance in 2024-25 but has made the NAC tournament the past three seasons from 2021-2024, making this his fourth conference tournament appearance overall. In three NAC tournament appearances, Klassen is 2-3, with two losses in the semifinals and one in the quarterfinals.

WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of the Plattsburgh State and SUNY Canton will travel to the top-seeded Cortland for a semifinal matchup, no matter the results of the Oswego State-Oneonta game. Cortland had a great season going 17-1 in conference play, with their only loss coming against New Paltz.

The winner of the Oswego State-Oneonta game will play second-seeded New Paltz at top-seeded Cortland, as the Red Dragons will host the semifinals and championship game.