POTSDAM, N.Y.- The SUNY Potsdam women's basketball team (0-1) fell to Utica College (1-0) Tuesday night, 67-52 in their season opener. Freshman guard Drew Dufrane (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) started her collegiate career with a game-high 18 points and junior guard Ashelyne Babb (Winthrop/Lynn, Mass.) added her 18 to lead the Pioneers.
 
Utica got on the board at the 8:50 minute mark of the first quarter with a jumper from junior guard Ashley Mayo (Nanuet/Nanuet, N.Y.) and Babb followed it up with a layup for the four point lead. Dufrane took the offense into her own hands by going 4-for-7 from behind the arch and gained the lead with 1:24 to go. Mayo tied the game back up with another layup, but junior forward Keme Fofana (Bronx, N.Y./NYC Charter for A.E.C.I.) grabbed her first two points of the year with her own layup to take the 14-12 lead back going into the second quarter.
 
After a couple of Bear shooting fouls, the Pioneers went 5-for-6 from the line for the lead. Sophomore guard Secret Clark (Bronx, N.Y./NYC Charter for A.E.C.I.) hit her first shot of the game with a jumper to ignite a Potsdam 19-8 run. Clark hit two from behind the arch, five points from senior captain Meghan Driscoll (Troy, N.Y./Troy), another three from Dufrane, a jumper from sophomore Abbey Smith (Bainbridge, N.Y./Bainbridge-Guilford) and a made free throw by freshman Kim Pike (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) to cap the run. Utica closed out the half with a 5-1 run to shorten the gap, but the Bears took the 34-28 lead into halftime.
 
The Pioneers' offense exploded for 30 points in the third quarter. Babb grabbed 10 points, while Mayo added eight. The Pioneers led 58-38 going into the final quarter of play.
 
Clark opened the fourth with a layup and a jumper in hopes of starting some offense, but Utica answered each time throughout the 10 minutes of play. Despite Potsdam taking the quarter 14-9, the Pioneers walked away with the 67-52 win.
 
Clark finished with 16 points on the night. Junior forward Emily Drake (Athens, N.Y./Coxsackie-Athens) grabbed 12 rebounds for a game-high and Abbey Smith grabbed seven boards.
 
Babb also added to her stats five assists and four steals, while sophomore forward Rachel Hunter (West Islip/West Islip, N.Y.) tallied 15. Mayo finished the game with a double-double, 15 points and 11 rebounds. 
 
The Bears are back in action this weekend when they travel down route 11 to battle SUNY Canton at 5 p.m.