NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team fell on the road on Saturday afternoon to New Paltz, falling 83-65 in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play. The Cardinals were led by Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany) as she tied her career-high 22 points and added 12 rebounds to get her second double-double in a row, her fifth of the season. The Cardinals had three players in double figures including Walcott. 
 
Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y. / Saranac) and Mya Smith(Wappingers Falls, N.Y. / Wappingers) contributed to the scoring effort with 14 and 13 points respectively. Couture and Kathy Peterson-Ross (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest) were making plays for the Cardinals as they both led the team with four assists each. Peterson-Ross also brought in seven rebounds to contribute to the rebounding effort for the Cardinals. Selma Deisz (Bekkestua, Norway / Nadderud VGS) put in eight points while Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) put in six. 
 
For the Hawks, Brianna Fitzgerald and Jenny Walton led their team with 20 points each. Abby Korzekwinski and Madison Mullman were also in double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively. 
 
The three-ball was the story as the Hawks doubled the Cardinals, hitting 13 of 32 at a solid 40.6% compared to the Cardinals 6 of 17 at 35.3%. The field goal percentage went the way of the Hawks as well as the Cardinals shot a solid 39.3% and the Hawks 43.1%. The Cardinals got 19 second-chance points while the Hawks only did a little better with 20. The Hawks won the rebounding battle 38-27 and the turnover battle was close 22-17 Hawks, but the difference came in points off turnovers as the Hawks got 27 compared to the Cardinals' 10. 
 
Plattsburgh falls to 6-9 overall (3-6 SUNYAC) and will be back in action Friday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 pm as they look to even the season series against Geneseo. New Paltz moves to 12-3 overall (7-1 SUNYAC) and will be back in action Tuesday, Jan. 23 as they travel to take on Cortland with a 5:30 pm tip-off. 
 
The first half was tough for the Cardinals offensively despite shooting well they only scored 22 points. Fitzgerald got the quarter started with a jumper followed by a Walcott layup. The Hawks went on an 11-0 run from the 8:51 mark until the 5:32 mark when Deisz made a three that made the score 13-5 Hawks. A three from Walton stretched the Hawks' lead to double figures with less than four minutes to play. A Couture layup cut the lead to single digits and made the score 20-12 Hawks. The Hawks ended the quarter on an 8-2 run that made the score 28-14 Hawks after one. 
 
The second quarter saw the Hawks outscore the Cardinals 21-10. Walcott opened the quarter with a three which Smith responded with a three of her own that made the score 31-17 Hawks with less than eight minutes to play. The Cardinals scored five straight which made the score 33-22 Haws with less than five minutes to play. The Hawks ended the quarter with an 8-0 run that made the score 41-22 at halftime. 
 
The third quarter saw the Cardinals wake up offensively as they outscored the Hawks with 23 points but were unable to cut into the deficit as the Hawks turned up their three-point shooting with five made threes and scored 22 points. Walcott opened the third with an and-one layup followed by a Morgan Hammell three. Both teams exchanged buckets as Semaiah Williams and Couture both made layups that made the score 46-30 Hawks with less than eight minutes to play. Both teams exchanged threes as Deisz made one followed by a three from Williams that made the score 51-34 with less than six minutes to play. From the 1:37 mark until the end of the quarter, the Cardinals went on a 7-0 run that made the score 63-45 Hawks. 
 
The fourth quarter saw both teams score 20 points as New Paltz kept their lead, and the Cardinals were unable to come back. Walton made a free throw to open the quarter followed by a Couture layup. The Cardinals scored five straight which made the score 68-54 Hawks. The Cardinals scored four straight which made the score 71-58 Hawks with less than six minutes to play. The Cardinals scored four straight again which made the score 75-62 with less than four minutes to play and cut the lead to 13 which was the lowest it got as the Cardinals fell 83-65.