PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team punched its ticket into the championship game at the Cardinal Classic on Saturday night at Memorial Hall, scoring 49 second-half points in an 80-38 victory over Southern Vermont College.
 
After a sluggish start resulted in a close 14-10 score in the first quarter, the Cardinals pulled away, scoring 17 points in the second, 25 in the third and 24 in the fourth to come away with the win. Plattsburgh State shot 39.8 percent (33-of-83) from the field in the victory while limiting the Mountaineers to 29.8 percent (14-of-47) shooting. The Cardinals also forced their opponent into 33 turnovers and finished with a 47-39 edge in rebounds.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 2-0 overall with the win and hosts The Sage Colleges tomorrow in the Cardinal Classic championship game at 3 p.m. Southern Vermont drops to 0-2 with the loss and faces the University of Southern Maine in the consolation game tomorrow at 1 p.m.
 
The Cardinals never trailed in the contest, but Southern Vermont made matters interesting late in the first quarter, going on a 5-0 run to close the period, with a 3-pointer by freshman guard/forward Sarah Poirier pulling the Mountaineers within 14-10. That run extended into the second quarter, with a made jumper by senior forward Abbi Molner and a free throw by sophomore guard Kayla Emmi drawing the visitors within one.
 
Plattsburgh State closed the half on a 17-3 run, with a layup by freshman guard/forward Olivia Souky (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) giving the Cardinals a 31-16 lead to take into the locker rooms. The Cardinals broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Mountaineers by a 25-6 margin in the period, and added even more insurance in the fourth. Souky drained a 3-pointer with 2:51 left in regulation to give Plattsburgh State a 47-point lead, its largest of the game.
 
Freshman forward Frannie Merkel (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) notched her second double-double in as many games as a Cardinal, recording 16 points and 10 rebounds to go along with her three steals and three blocks. Senior guard Jax Miller (Argyle, N.Y./Argyle) pumped in 12 points and added three assists, while Souky scored 10 points in 15 minutes coming off the bench. Senior guard Monique Jones (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) significantly impacted the game on both ends of the floor, and it showed up the box score in the form of six points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals.
 
For Southern Vermont, senior guard Amber Dow led the way with 13 points, while junior guard/forward Chloe Longe, Poirier and Molner each finished with nine rebounds.

Sage edged Southern Maine in a back-and-forth thriller in the nightcap, winning by a score of 59-57.