PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team beat Morrisville 75-66 for its second straight State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) win on Friday night in Memorial Hall. Sophomore guard Kayla Johannesen (Hyde Park, N.Y. / Our Lady of Lourdes) scored a career-high 16 points to go with a career-high six assists and four rebounds.

Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown) and Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany) both finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Walcott also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds for a double-double. Lauren LaFountain (Saratoga Springs, N.Y. / Saratoga Springs) chipped in nine points in the winning effort. On the defensive end, Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) led the team with two steals and added eight points and six assists.

For the Mustangs, Anyssia Ingersoll led all scorers with 23 points and fell one rebound short of the double-double with nine. Hayley Dawson added 18 points and five rebounds, and Abbie Platt had 17 points, six assists, six rebounds, and a game-high four steals.

Plattsburgh State delivered a solid all-around effort, shooting 39.2% from the field and knocking down shots from deep at a 28.9% clip. Morrisville countered by shooting 34.8% overall and held a slight edge from beyond the arc at 34.3%, but the Cardinals made their impact elsewhere. Plattsburgh controlled the boards 47-43, and while second-chance points were knotted at 14 apiece, the Cardinals capitalized on turnovers, turning defense into offense and outscoring Morrisville 21-13.

Morrisville opened the game with a three-pointer before Plattsburgh's offense came to life, scoring 10 points in a row, capped off by a Johannesen three-pointer that made the score 12-6 Cardinals with 6:55 to go. The Mustangs later tied the game at 18 before a late layup from Rosie Sculco (Amsterdam, N.Y. / Amsterdam) gave the Cardinals a 20-18 lead going into the second quarter.

The second quarter saw Plattsburgh add to its lead as an 8-0 surge, sparked by a layup from Kaelyn Morgan (Chateaugay, N.Y. / Chateaugay Central), pushed the Cardinals' lead to 28-21 at the 7:02 mark. Despite trailing, the Mustangs didn't lose momentum, ending the half with a 5-0 burst to take a 38-36 lead into halftime.

Plattsburgh struck first out of the break, but Morrisville continued to respond and used a 6-0 rally to take a 47-44 lead with 6:38 remaining. The Mustangs' lead held until the Cardinals flipped the script with a decisive 12-0 run, seizing a 60-52 advantage and carrying a 60-54 lead into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter belonged to Plattsburgh as a three-pointer from Meredith Bush (Gouverneur, N.Y. / Gouverneur) gave the Cardinals a double-digit lead at 66-56. Morrisville kept pressing and trimmed the Cardinals' lead to five with 6:12 remaining, but clutch back-to-back jumpers from Greek and Wilson slammed the door, as Plattsburgh pulled away for a 75-66 win.

With the win, Plattsburgh State rises to 9-4 (4-2 SUNYAC) and next hosts Cortland tomorrow, Jan. 17, for a 2 p.m. tip-off.