OSWEGO, N.Y.- The SUNY Potsdam women's basketball team suffered a 59-53 defeat in their SUNYAC opener at Oswego. Kayla Ryan paced the Lakers attack with 25 points and 10 rebounds.  

The Bears (2-4, 0-1 SUNYAC) got off to a sluggish start and were down 13-6 only six minutes into the first half. Over the next seven minutes, Potsdam's defense keyed a 10-2 run. Sophomore Jessica Kouzan hit a jumper to give Potsdam their first lead of the game at 16-15. The teams traded baskets the rest of the half but Oswego (4-1, 1-0) gained a slight advantage by scoring the final four points of the half. That run gave the Lakers a 28-24 lead going into the break. 

Potsdam came out of the break hot and made their first five field goals. Junior Katy Briedis got it started with back-to-back jumpers to tie the score at 28. After a layup by Ryan gave the Lakers a brief lead, Kouzan connected on a three-pointer and layup on successive positions but Ryan would answer with a three to keep the game even.  Oswego would gain the upper hand with a 9-0 run to take a 51-39 lead with 5:44 remaining. The lead stayed at 12 points until 54 seconds were left but the Bears didn't quit. Kouzan and Briedis hit three pointers sandwiched around a Lakers turnover to cut the lead to 57-51 with 34 seconds left. Potsdam could get no closer as Oswego would convert a couple pivotal free throws down the stretch.

For the game, Potsdam was led by Kouzan who scored 19 points on 8-14 shooting from the field. Briedis added 14 points, five rebounds and two assists.  The Bears shot 45 percent from the floor in the second half and converted on 3-of-5 of their attempts from behind the arc.

"We went through spurts where we played well tonight and when we came back, it was because of defensive intensity," said Ruckh. "We have to put it all together and sustain our play for an entire game. We also need to do a better job of scoring."

The Bears return to action tomorrow afternoon as they travel to Cortland for a 2 p.m. tip off.