REDLANDS, Calif. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team kicked off its 2013-14 season Friday afternoon with a loss, falling, 81-72, to Chapman University at the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tip-Off Classic hosted by the University of Redlands at Currier Gym.

The Hawks and Panthers played a high-tempo brand of basketball, which resulted in 71 turnovers between the two teams. Chapman finished the contest shooting at a 36-of-81 (44.4 percent) clip, while New Paltz shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58). Neither team took many shots from beyond the arc, with Chapman finishing at 1-of-5 (20 percent) and New Paltz finishing at 4-of-12 (33.3 percent) from long range.

New Paltz and Chapman played tight early in the first half before the Panthers went on an 11-0 run sparked by seven points from senior guard Kimi Takaoka to go up by eight (17-9) with 12:45 to play in the stanza. The Hawks ended up going on an 8-0 run that was capped off by a made jumper by freshman guard Tanysha Campbell (Bronx, N.Y./Intech Academy), but a 12-0 Panther run shortly thereafter gave Chapman a 41-25 advantage. New Paltz was never able to get within reasonable striking distance the rest of the game, and Chapman was able to come away with the victory.

New Paltz (0-1) continues action at the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tip-Off Classic tomorrow, taking on host Redlands at 5 p.m. (PDT). Chapman (1-0) also continues action at the Lee Fulmer Memorial Tip-Off Classic tomorrow, squaring off with Lyndon State College at 1 p.m. (PDT).

Following Chapman's tear late in the first, New Paltz closed the half on a 7-0 run to enter the locker room down nine at 41-32. After the two teams traded points in the beginning of the second half, a made layup by sophomore forward Sandra Gao gave the Panthers a double-digit lead at 47-37.

Chapman slowly built a lead and led by as many as 18 points, but New Paltz made a run at the end of the game to make things interesting. After Gao made it a 17-point contest with 2:55 to go in regulation, the Hawks went on an 8-0 tear, and a layup by sophomore guard Goldie Harrison (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial) made it a single-digit deficit with seven seconds left on the clock. Freshman forward Courtney Irby (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) forced a turnover with three seconds left, but a missed layup on the ensuing offensive possession kept the score at 81-72. Chapman came up with the defensive board and did not do anything statistically relevant on offense in the final second as the clock ran out.

Four New Paltz student-athletes had double-digit scoring afternoons, with freshman guard/forward Kit Small (Slingerlands, N.Y./Academy of the Holy Names) leading the way with a team-high 18 points achieved off of 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and 6-of-13 shooting from the free-throw line. Irby netted 17 points, while Harrison and junior guard Ashley Riefenhauser (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) poured in 13 and 11 points, respectively. Irby had a double-double in her first collegiate game, pulling down 13 boards, while Harrison further stuffed the stat sheet with six steals and four assists.

For Chapman, Gao had an outstanding game with 35 points and 11 rebounds, while Takaoka chipped in with 22 points. junior guard Andrea Villanueva finished with eight assists to help pace the offense, and junior guard/forward Nicole Moy had five steals in 16 minutes coming off the bench.