NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Three players finished in double figures for the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team as the Hawks held off SUNY Potsdam 78-67 in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action on Friday night at the Hawk Center.
 
Freshman guard/forward Laura Stuart (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue) scored a career-high 12 points off the bench, behind 5-of-7 shooting. Stuart filled the stat line with seven rebounds and three assists for the Hawks.
 
Joining Stuart in double digits were sophomore guard/forward Kit Small (Slingerlands, N.Y./Academy of the Holy Names) and sophomore forward Courtney Irby (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale), who both scored 10 points apiece. Small chipped in seven boards and three helpers while Irby pulled down five rebounds but was plagued by foul trouble.
 
With the victory, the Hawks improve to 13-6 overall, 9-3 SUNYAC and remain tied with SUNY Cortland for second place. New Paltz will battle SUNY Plattsburgh (9-10, 6-6 SUNYAC) tomorrow at 4 p.m, putting its 7-1 home record to the test. Potsdam falls to 1-18, 0-12 SUNYAC and plays at SUNY Oneonta also tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
New Paltz forced 26 Potsdam turnovers, scoring 34 points off those mistakes, and held a 58-41 edge on the glass. The Hawk bench outscored the Bears' 36-9 with Stuart providing 12 points off the pine.
 
The Hawks claimed a six-point lead in the early going (12-6) after senior guard Ashley Riefenhauser (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) knocked down a three. But the Bears answered and got within three (14-11) before New Paltz went on an 11-0 run to claim a commanding 25-11 lead in the first half.
 
Another deep ball by senior guard Shannan Walker (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) gave the Hawks a 15-point cushion (28-13) as New Paltz would go on to lead by as many as 19 points in the first half, after freshman guard/forward Jasmine Bryant (Elmont, N.Y./St. Mary's College Prep) hit a layup with 4:14 to play. Four made free throws by the Hawks before intermission provided New Paltz a 48-31 edge at halftime.
 
The Bears trimmed the New Paltz advantage to 13 points (50-37) in the opening minutes of the second period but consecutive layups by Stuart handed a 19-point edge back to the home team. The Hawks enjoyed a 20-point margin (64-44) at 7:35 following a bucket by junior guard forward Collen Ames (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) but from that point the Bears slowly inched into the contest with a 21-11 run over the next five minutes and came within eight points with 2:11 to play. Down the stretch, free throws provided by Stuart and junior guard Dariah Duncan (New York City, N.Y./Aquinas) proved to be the necessary push to give New Paltz the regular season sweep of Potsdam.
 
For the Bears, senior guard/forward Bailey Weigel poured in a game-high 22 points, going 10-of-11 from the charity stripe. Junior forward Katie Lavoie and senior guard Carli Reynolds scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.