NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team (4-7) christened the 2012 portion of its 2011-12 schedule with a 72-41 victory over non-conference Eastern Connecticut State University (4-6) Wednesday evening at the Hawk Center.

The Hawks kept a balanced scoring attack throughout the game, scoring 36 points in each half. Similarly, New Paltz held Eastern Connecticut to 21 points in the first half, while only allowing a 20-point second half from the Warriors. The rebounding edge went to New Paltz in a 59-47 margin, including the 22 offensive boards for the Hawks. New Paltz also had one of its better shooting nights of the season, shooting 40.2 percent from the floor (33-of-82). Eastern Connecticut was held to 20.3 percent on 14-of-69 shooting from the field.

Senior point guard Kaitlin Clifford (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis) led the Hawk charge with a robust stat-line, scoring 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field (2-of-3 from three-point range) while also grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with five steals. Junior forward Alex McCullough (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) was the team-leader in points, netting nine of her 17 shots from the floor for 18 points, while also getting six rebounds and a team-high three blocks. Senior forward Shanay Bradley (Bronx, N.Y./New Explorers) had a Hawk-high 11 rebounds to go with seven points and two rejections.

Shannon McCourt led the Warriors with 18 points and 17 rebounds, game-highs in both categories. Saige Johnson also contributed 11 points to Eastern Connecticut's effort. Taylor McBride played an "iron-woman" game for the Warriors, staying on the floor all 40 minutes to dish out nine assists and pickpocket the Hawks four times.

New Paltz began the game on a 12-0 run in the first six minutes and 20 seconds, quickly showing it had no rust after a 23-day layoff for the intersession. Bradley opened scoring with a jumper with 19:13 to go in the first stanza, before quickly turning around and blocking the first Warrior shot attempt. A free throw by Bradley and buckets by junior guard Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) and McCullough helped extend the run, leading to Clifford's first three-pointer to make it a 10-0 game. A senior guard Zoe Cohen (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Berkeley Carroll School) jumper with 14:24 to go in the first half made it a 12 point game.

The Warriors were able to get on the board with a Johnson layup with 13:40 remaining in the first half, but the Hawks did not slow down. The Hawk lead grew to 18 points, the highest margin of the half, with 11:12 still left in the first. Eastern Connecticut went on multiple mini-runs to try to chip away at the lead, but was unable to decrease the margin down to single digits for the rest of the game. By the time the teams went to the locker room, the Hawks held a 36-21 lead.

For the Hawks, the second half started almost as well as the first half. New Paltz opened the second period with a 10-0 run on the backs of McCullough, Clifford and senior guard Caitlin Irwin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney), effectively eliminating most of the Warriors' hope for a comeback effort. The lead grew as high as a 34-point margin down the stretch, before settling on the contest's 72-41 final score.

Not only did the game signify the beginning of the 2012 portion of the schedule, but it served as the season debut for two Hawk players: freshman guard/forward Monique Myers (New York City, N.Y./Richard R. Green) and sophomore forward Elizabeth Hauser (East Williston, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy). Myers recorded three points and one block in six minutes of action, while Hauser scored two points and brought down three rebounds in her eight minutes of court time.

The victory ends New Paltz's non-conference slate, but the return of play in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) lurks around the corner. The Hawks are next scheduled to face SUNY Potsdam on Tuesday, Jan. 10, in Potsdam, N.Y. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.