Oswego State Unable To Close Out New Paltz In 66-53 Loss

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OSWEGO, N.Y. - Despite holding an 11-point halftime lead, the Oswego State women's basketball team was unable to hold off a strong second-half surge from visiting New Paltz in a 66-53 loss Friday at Laker Hall.  Oswego State (8-5, 3-3 SUNYAC) was ahead 30-19 at the break, but the Hawks (6-7, 4-2 SUNYAC) shot nearly 68 percent from the floor in the second half and held a 43-25 advantage on the boards to record the come-from-behind win. 

The Lakers host Oneonta in a 2 p.m. contest, while New Paltz travels to Cortland to face the Red Dragons.

Both teams traded leads throughout much of the first half until Oswego State closed out the stanza with a 10-2 run in the final 6:34.  Jenna Rossi (Sr., Phoenix, N.Y.) started the stretch with a layup, was followed by a pair of Lauren Nunziato (So., West Sand Lake, N.Y.) free throws, four straight points from Kayla Ryan (Sr., Schaghticoke, N.Y.), and capped off by a Kari Kipper (Jr., Loudonville, N.Y.) layup.

Neither squad shot well from the field in the frame, as the Lakers went 37.0 percent (10-for-27) and the Hawks went 30.8 percent (8-for-26).  However, Oswego State was able to distance itself from New Paltz at the charity stripe by knocking down 7-of-9 compared to 1-for-10 for the visitors.

The Lakers held a ten-point, 33-23 lead following three of Nunziato's 12 points with 17:12 to play, but the Hawks' Kaitlin Clifford answered back with a trey of her own that triggered a 20-3 New Paltz run over the next eight minutes.  Shanay Bradley finished the run with a layup to give the Hawks a 43-35 lead near the midway point of the second half.

Head coach Tracy Bruno's troop pulled to within three points on several occasions, including with 5:29 remaining after a Ryan layup, but New Paltz closed out the contest with a 15-5 run to seal the victory.

Ryan finished with a game-high 18 points, while Bradley added 14 rebounds to go along with her team-high 17 points. Maliqua Fisher joined Bradley in double digits with 16 points.  The Hawks finished the game shooting 50.9 percent (29-of-57), while the Lakers ended up shooting 33.3 percent (16-of-48).