NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Thanks in part to a hefty scoring performance from its starting frontcourt, the No. 2 seed State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team (18-8) defeated No. 7 seed SUNY Plattsburgh (10-15) by a 81-69 margin on Tuesday evening in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Basketball Championship Tournament quarterfinal action at the Hawk Center.

Despite both playing only 24 minutes apiece, senior forward Shanay Bradley (Bronx, N.Y./New Explorers) and junior forward Alex McCullough (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) scored more than 50 percent of the Hawks' points on the evening. Bradley put up 22 points (10-of-21 from the field) to go along with 12 rebounds, a game-high, and three steals. McCullough shot 8-of-11 from the floor with two three-pointers to accumulate 21 points while also grabbing four rebounds and three steals.

Plattsburgh was led by Kathleen Payne, who scored 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field and hit 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. Payne also led the Cardinals with nine rebounds. Brooke Reifinger posted a 14-point, six-assist effort for Plattsburgh, while Kerri Salisbury rounded out the top scorers with a 10-point performance.

A 13-0 run by the Hawks over the first six minutes and three seconds of regulation set the tempo for the night. McCullough and Bradley teamed up to score 11 of those first 13 points, with the other two points coming from a layup by junior guard Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon). The Cardinals broke the run with layups from Payne and Salisbury, but a scoop shot by senior guard/forward Bridget Grover (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Holy Trinity) at the 13:44 mark in the first half put New Paltz up 15-4. After that point, the Cardinals were unable to get the Hawk lead below double-digits.

Bradley and McCullough did most of their damage against the Cardinal defense in the first half, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively. This helped New Paltz carry a 37-26 advantage to the locker room. Plattsburgh started the second half with possession and the hope of lowering the margin to single digits, but McCullough stuffed a layup attempt by Brooke Reifinger to open the period. McCullough's block, her only rejection of the game, tied her for first place in program history for blocks over a career with 103, set by Dana Maul from 1992-94. For good measure, McCullough stole away the ball after a Plattsburgh in-bounds pass, allowing Fisher to set up senior point guard Kaitlin Clifford (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis) for a fastbreak layup and a 39-26 lead with 19:39 remaining.

New Paltz was able to showcase its depth over the course of the game, playing 14 different players and having 13 of them score. Senior guard Zoe Cohen (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Berkeley Carroll School) led the reserve effort with seven points and five rebounds.

The Hawks also had their rebounding and quick hands to thank for the 81-69 victory. New Paltz won the battle on the glass by a 51-40 margin, including 26 offensive boards compared to the Cardinals' 12. New Paltz also forced 24 Plattsburgh turnovers while only coughing up possession 15 times.

With the victory, New Paltz advances into the 2012 SUNYAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament semifinals. The Hawks will face third-seeded SUNY Oneonta on Friday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. The semifinal and final rounds will be hosted at top-seeded Buffalo State. The winner of New Paltz-Oneonta will face the winner of Buffalo State-SUNY Cortland for the SUNYAC title on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 4 p.m.