NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The SUNY Potsdam women's basketball (1-18, 0-12 SUNYAC) team dropped their SUNYAC road contest to New Paltz (17-2, 11-1 SUNYAC), 67-47 Friday night. Junior forward Jessica Kouzan led the Bears with 16 points and five rebounds.

Potsdam struggled to find a rhythm offensively in the early stages of the first half. New Paltz connected on the first bucket of the game at the 18:37 mark. Shortly after, sophomore forward Margaret Wall found Kouzan for a layup. Senior guard Katy Briedis added a three pointer with 15:36 remaining to notch the score at five all. The Hawks would go on an 8-0 run in the next five minutes to claim a 13-5 advantage. Kouzan would halt the charge at the 10:42 mark with a three-point basket. Potsdam chipped away at the deficit and a basket from beyond the arc by junior guard Chenice Russell put the Bears within two. New Paltz answered and would go on a 19-7 spurt in the remaining minutes to hold a 34-20 lead at halftime.

New Paltz remained hot in the second half. The Hawks scored just 11 seconds into the final stanza to set the tone. The Bears continued to battle as a pair of free throws by Briedis and a layup by Kouzan cut the lead to 10 with 17:22 remaining. The Hawks would maintain the pressure and a layup by Kahsyrah Bryant at the 9:43 mark gave New Paltz a 24-point lead. Potsdam remained persistent but the deficit proved to be too great to overcome as the Hawks were able to soar to a 67-47 victory.

Potsdam struggled from the floor, shooting 29% and 25% from the three-point line. The Bears edged New Paltz in rebounds, 40 to 38. Briedis finished with 10 points.

Bryant led the Hawks with 14 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Alyssa Gratien totaled 11 points and freshman guard Christine Rivera added 10.

The Bears are back in action tomorrow versus Oneonta State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.