BUFFALO, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team (5-0, 2-0 SUNYAC) put together another strong second half to rally to a 58-50 victory over Buffalo State (2-3, 0-2 SUNYAC) in their second State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matchup of the year on Saturday, keeping the Hawks undefeated to start the new season. The Hawks avenged last year's series sweep at the hands of Buffalo State with the win.
 
The Hawks outscored the Bengals, 35-19, in the second half of Saturday's win. This is the fourth time in five games that the Hawks trailed at the break and outscored their opponent in the second stanza. Improved three-point shooting contributed to the comeback, as the Hawks shot 62.5 percent (5-for-8) from the distance in the second half.
 
Senior guard Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) bounced back after a one-point performance on Friday to pick up her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Kahsyrah Bryant (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) kept her momentum from last night going by scoring 16 points on Saturday. Freshman guard Shannan Walker (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) also added 16 points and dished out a team-high three assists.
 
New Paltz fell behind early in the contest, trailing 21-14 midway through the first half. The lead increased to 31-19 on Kala Crawford's jumper at the 3:23 mark before Fisher sunk a pair of free throws and followed with a layup to bring the Hawks within eight going into the locker room.
 
After Buffalo State's Bianca Smiley nailed a jumper to open the second half, the Hawks took off flying, stringing together an 11-0 run, capped off by Walker's three-pointer, to take a 34-33 lead. New Paltz put together another long rally starting at the 7:24 mark with a three from Bryant. Her basket from long range started a 9-0 run that gave the Hawks a 10-point lead with just over five minutes remaining.
 
Buffalo State was able to cut into New Paltz's lead and got within six points with less than two minutes to go, but a free throw by Walker and another by junior forward Jeanette Scott (West Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) put the icing on the cake.
 
Freshman forward Michelle Valle (New York, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science/Mathematics) had a big day on the boards, pulling down 12 rebounds in the win. Buffalo State's Smiley led all scorers with 17 points and added seven boards before fouling out of the contest.
 
The Hawks shot 31.7 percent from the field, including 40.6 percent in the second half. Buffalo State was a bit more successful, making 33.9 percent of their field goals. The Hawks shot just 50 percent from the charity stripe, while the Bengals succeeded on 66.7 percent.
 
New Paltz has a quick turnaround, playing its home opener on Tuesday night at the Hawk Center. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. between the Hawks and Stevens Institute of Technology.