NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded Plattsburgh State women's basketball team saw its 2025-26 season come to an end in a close 39-38 loss to top-seeded and No. 22-ranked New Paltz in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) semifinals on Friday night at Hawk Center. Junior guard Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) paced the Cardinals with 12 points and collected four rebounds.

Sophomore forward Desiree DuBois (Champlain, N.Y. / Northeastern Clinton Central) was awarded the prestigious SUNYAC Elite 20 award, an award modeled after the NCAA ELITE 90 program, which recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. Dubois is a Biomedical Science major and currently holds a 4.0 GPA.

The next top scorer for Plattsburgh was junior guard Rosie Sculco (Amsterdam, N.Y. / Amsterdam) with seven points, and she added two rebounds and two assists. Sophomore guard Kayla Johannesen (Hyde Park, N.Y. / Our Lady of Lourdes) contributed five points, three rebounds, and two steals. On the defensive end, senior forward Kathy Peterson-Ross (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest) cleaned up the boards with a team-high 11 rebounds and a team-high four steals.

For the Hawks, Brianna Fitzgerald led all players with 13 points and added 14 rebounds for a double-double. Karly Wittenbauer chipped in eight points and 11 rebounds, while Kayden Cornell and Sierra Carter had six points each.

Plattsburgh State was excellent from the stripe, shooting 90.0%, but only shot 25.5% from the floor. The Hawks didn't fare any better, shooting 21.7% from the field and 66.7% from the free-throw line. Neither team shot well from long range, but the Hawks outscored the Cardinals 9-3 from beyond the arc. It was an even battle on the boards at 41 apiece, but the Hawks had the edge in second-chance points, 9-6and points off turnovers, 17-8.

The first quarter didn't see much action from either team as Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown) opened the scoring with a jumper before the Hawks took a 5-4 lead after one quarter of action.  

In the second quarter, both teams found some rhythm as a quick five points, including a Johannesen triple, gave Plattsburgh a 9-7 lead with 8:17 remaining. The lead swung back and forth until back-to-back layups put the Hawks up 16-13, but Plattsburgh closed the quarter with a jumper from Greek, cutting the deficit to 16-15 at halftime.

The Hawks pulled away in the third quarter with two 6-0 runs, but Plattsburgh responded with four straight points from DuBois to cut the lead to five, only for a Hawks triple to push the score to 31-23 heading into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter belonged to Plattsburgh as the Cardinals used a 9-0 spurt to come within one and make the score 33-32 with 4:19 to go. After back-to-back baskets pushed the Hawks' lead to five, Plattsburgh countered with a 6-0 surge, capped by a clutch layup from Greek that gave them a 38-37 lead. However, a foul allowed the Hawks to reclaim the lead at 39-38, and Plattsburgh's buzzer-beater was too late in a 39-38 loss.

Plattsburgh State closes the 2025-26 season at 16-11 overall (10-8 SUNYAC) and will look to build on its deepest postseason run since the 2013-14 season.