POTSDAM, N.Y.- The SUNY Potsdam women's basketball team's (1-16, 0-11 SUNYAC) comeback fell short in their 54-50 loss to Plattsburgh State (6-11, 5-6 SUNYAC) Tuesday night at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium. Freshman guard Mikayla Horton (Hammond, N.Y./Hammond) had a career-high night with 11 points and added four rebounds and two steals to lead the Bears. Fellow freshman forward Naya Walters (Bronx, N.Y./Women's Academy of Excellence) finished with 11 boards, one assist and two blocks, all career-highs for Walters.
Potsdam had a 13-11 lead following the first quarter with Horton scoring four points and junior guard Riley Luckie (Ogdensburg, N.Y./Jefferson C.C.), sophomore guard Drew Dufrane (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) and freshman guard Carly Shear (Newark, N.Y./Newark) each chipping in two points, while junior guard Abbey Smith (Bainbridge, N.Y./Bainbridge-Guilford) hit once from behind the arc. Junior guard Bella DePasquale (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) had five points to lead the Cardinals in the 10-minute span.
It was all Plattsburgh in the second with a 15-3 scoring advantage. Dufrane scored the lone 3-pointer for Potsdam, while six different Cardinals tallied up the 15 points for Plattsburgh. The Cardinals took the 10 point lead into the locker room.
Scoring evened out after halftime with the teams scoring 11 points apiece. Freshman forward Hannah Marcellus (Potsdam, N.Y./Madrid-Waddington) led the Bears with four points, while sophomore forward Taylor Durnin (Lyon Mountain, N.Y./Northern Adirondack) and junior guard Anna Thompson (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Spackenkill each scored three points to lead Plattsburgh.
At the start of the fourth, Durin made two from the free throw line before Potsdam went on an 8-0 mini run starting with a jumper from Horton. She got the Bears within four at the 6:26 minute mark after a made 3-pointer, but game turned into a fight from the foul line in the remaining minutes. The Cardinals went on to go 17-for-24 from the line during the whole quarter with 22 of those attempts coming after the made three from Horton. Potsdam got within four again with 18 seconds left after a three-point play was converted from Luckie, but wouldn't come any closer and Plattsburgh took the 54-50 victory. Potsdam outscored Plattsburgh 23-17 during the final quarter.
Plattsburgh edged Potsdam 48-47 in rebounds, but the Bears shot 28-percent from the field to the Cardinals 24-percent.
Dufrane and Luckie each finished with eight points on the night with Luckie dishing out five assists for a career-high. Freshman forward Nicole Hansen (Fulton, N.Y./G. Ray Bodley) grabbed six boards and tallied four points and two blocks.
Thompson led Plattsburgh 16 points and two steals, while Durnin followed her with 12 points and nine rebounds for a team-high.
Potsdam hits the road this weekend to battle Oneonta Friday at 5:30 p.m. and New Paltz Saturday at 1 p.m.