NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – It took two halves and an overtime period, but the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team (8-0, 4-0 SUNYAC) kept its perfect record unblemished, as the Hawks downed SUNY Geneseo (6-2, 2-1 SUNYAC), 73-69, in overtime in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game Saturday afternoon at the Hawk Center.

With 20 seconds left in regulation, the Hawks tried to inbound the ball after Geneseo made it a two-point game at 60-58. Geneseo's Shannon McGinnis forced a turnover, and the Blue Knights had a chance to tie the score before the buzzer sounded. McGinnis, however, wasted just a few seconds off the clock, as she laid the ball into the hoop herself to deadlock the tally at 60-all. The Hawks turned the ball over again, but McGinnis coughed it up with four ticks left in regulation, prompting a New Paltz timeout. A shot that misfired after the buzzer signaled the need for an overtime period, with the score still tied at 60.

New Paltz went on a 6-0 run midway through the overtime stanza, which was capped off by a made free throw by senior guard Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon). Geneseo clawed back, though, and McGinnis hit a pair of free throws to draw the Blue Knights within two (68-66) with 50 seconds remaining. Senior forward Alex McCullough (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) drained a layup on the Hawks' next possession, but a foul by McCullough just a few seconds later gave the Blue Knights another chance to score. Biz Reinhardt made one of two freebies, which made it a one-possession game again at 70-67. The Hawks made defensive stops on Geneseo's next few trips down the floor, and the team made its free throws in the final 20 seconds to come away with the win.

The Hawks led by as many as six in the opening frame, but both sides battled nonetheless, with each team trading points. New Paltz led, 29-27, heading into the halftime intermission. An 8-0 spurt from 11:55 of the second half to 10:17 of the second half helped give the Hawks significant momentum, and a three-pointer by junior guard Alyssa Gratien (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt) gave the home team at 10-point lead at 46-36. Geneseo started hacking away at that cushion before New Paltz once again swelled the advantage to 10. The Blue Knights then went on an 11-3 run, which set the stage for an exciting finish.

New Paltz shot 41.2 percent (28-of-68) from the floor, including a 37.5 percent (6-of-16) mark from distance. In addition, the Hawks went 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) from the line. Geneseo fired at a 31.4 percent (22-of-70) clip from the field and shot just 5-of-21 (23.8 percent) from three-point range. The Blue Knights had a solid afternoon at the free-throw line, though, going 20-of-27 (74.1 percent). Geneseo dominated the glass by a 54-39 margin, but the Hawks forced the Blue Knights into 20 turnovers.

Freshman guard Shannan Walker (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) led the Hawk attack with a game-high 15 points, while Fisher added 12. Freshman forward Michelle Valle (New York, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science/Mathematics) scored 10 points coming off the bench.

For Geneseo, McGinnis and Cara Manfredi tied for the team-high in points with 14, with Manfredi's total coming in reserve duty. Katie Peterson reached double figures in scoring with 11 points, while Melissa Graham grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

New Paltz returns to the Hawk Center on Tuesday, Dec. 11, as it faces Hamilton College in a 6 p.m. non-conference game.