OSWEGO, N.Y. - Senior Kayla Ryan (Schaghticoke, N.Y.) posted her first double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds to help the Oswego State women's basketball team win its SUNYAC opener over Potsdam by the score of 59-53 at Max Ziel Gymnasium on Friday night.  Both squads were similar in nearly every statistical category, but the Lakers made 14-of-23 shots from the free throw line compared to just 12 trips to the free throw line for the Bears.

Oswego State (4-1 overall, 1-0 SUNYAC) hosts Plattsburgh (1-2 overall, 0-1 SUNYAC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday after the Cardinals fell to Cortland, 65-55.  Potsdam will face the Red Dragons at 2 p.m. as well.

The Lakers got out to a quick 11-4 lead after Meagan Stover (Jr., Lake George, N.Y.) scored her only basket of the game less than five minutes into the game.  However, the Bears crawled back into the game, and took a 16-15 lead with 7:20 left in the first half when Jessica Kouzan put it in a layup for two of her team-high 19 points. 

Both squads went back-and-forth for the rest of the frame until Ryan sank a pair of layups to give Oswego State a 28-24 halftime lead.

Potsdam regained the lead with 17:05 on the clock when Katy Briedis found Kaley Arsenault cutting towards the hoop to make the score 35-33.  However, the Laker defense tightened up and held the Bears scoreless for nearly five minutes.

With over eight minutes to play, a Jenna Rossi (Sr., Phoenix, N.Y.) jumper sparked a 9-0 run that allowed Oswego State to build a double-digit lead at 51-39.  The margin remained 12 points into the last minute until Kouzan and Briedis drained back-to-back three-pointers to make it a 57-51 score.  Potsdam missed its final long-range attempt as the Lakers made 2-of-4 free throws in the waning moments of the game.

Kari Kipper (Jr., Loudonville, N.Y.) joined Ryan in double figures with ten points to match a career high, Briedis finished with 14 points for the Bears.