FREDONIA, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team looked to extend its momentum with a third straight win in its regular-season road finale. Holding the series edge over the Blue Devils, the Cardinals sought a season sweep but came up short, falling 65-45 to Fredonia in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup on Saturday evening at Dods Hall.
The Cardinals had balanced scoring across the board as junior guard
Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville), senior forward
Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany), and senior guard
Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown) all finished with nine points. Greek added four rebounds and a steal, Wilson added three assists, two rebounds, a steal, and a block, and Walcott added five rebounds and a steal. Senior forward
Kathy Peterson-Ross (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest) had a team-high eight rebounds to go with three assists, a team-high two steals, and two points.
For the Blue Devils, Aliyah Hopkins led her team in scoring with 16 points and added nine rebounds and four assists. Grace Alexander had 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists, and Jayssa Snelick had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Plattsburgh shot just 25.0% from the field and 19.2% from three-point range, while Fredonia was slightly more efficient at 33.8% overall and 33.3% from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils controlled the glass, outrebounding the Cardinals 43-30 and holding a 21-11 advantage in second-chance points. Plattsburgh recorded six points off turnovers, compared to 15 for Fredonia.
Although the Blue Devils got on the board first, it was Plattsburgh who opened up a 7-2 lead after a Peterson-Ross layup at the 7:19 mark. The Blue Devils closed the gap in a quarter that featured multiple lead changes, and the teams entered the second tied at 13-13.
Greek gave Plattsburgh a brief 14-13 lead, but the Blue Devils mounted a counter, going up 16-14 before taking a 23-17 lead with 7:02 remaining. A quick 5-0 burst, capped by a
Kaelyn Morgan (Chateaugay, N.Y. / Chateaugay Central) layup, brought the Cardinals within one, but the Blue Devils built their lead once again and took a 32-27 lead into halftime.
Out of the break, Wilson got the Cardinals on the board, and a Morgan layup made the score 36-30 with 5:18 left. However, the Blue Devils responded and stretched their lead to double digits before a 7-0 surge led by Greek trimmed the deficit, making it 45-37 at the end of the third quarter.
Plattsburgh was outscored in the fourth quarter and got timely buckets from Walcott and DuBois, but still trailed 54-43 with 5:35 to go. The rest of the way, the Blue Devils started to pull away as the Cardinals couldn't find an offensive rhythm and ultimately fell, 65-45.
With the loss, Plattsburgh State falls to 14-9 overall (9-7 SUNYAC) and wraps up conference play next weekend, starting with a home game against New Paltz on Friday, Feb. 20, with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
