By Pete Holehan

Assistant SID-SUNY Potsdam

Senior guard/forward Kathleen Payne shot 10-of-19 to score a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds, sophomore Devona Paul added 16 points and junior Brittany Marshall dished out 13 assists as SUNY Plattsburgh spoiled a Bears' individual milestone achievement in downing Potsdam 88-79 on Tuesday night at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium.
 
Jessica Kouzan (Webster, N.Y. / Webster-Schroeder) scored a team-high 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting—including 5-of-9 from 3-point range—to go over the 1,000 career point threshold. 
 
The senior forward now has 1,007 points and needs just four points to pass Rachel Graf (2006-2010) for fifth place on the Bears' all-time scoring list. 
 
When Kouzan made a first free throw of two, it allowed Potsdam coach Tara Ruckh to call a timeout and grant Kouzan a nice gesture of appreciation.  With the public address announcer making the acknowledgment over the loud speaker that Kouzan had reached 1,000 points, the crowd gave her an ovation. 
 
Potsdam (6-17, 4-12 SUNYAC) has two games remaining on the schedule with home contests against Buffalo State on Friday at 6 p.m. and Fredonia on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
Potsdam only trailed by six at halftime, but fell behind as many as 18 points with 10:12 left in the game. 
 
The Bears made one last ditch effort late in the game and it began on a Bailey Weigel (East Amherst, N.Y. / Williamsville East) drive to the hoop and was followed by a Jessica Kouzan 3-pointer and a lay in by Carli Reynolds
 
The Bears' 7-0 run trimmed the lead to 78-70 with 3:19 remaining.
 
But that's as close as Potsdam would get as Plattsburgh (18-5, 13-3 SUNYAC) got big buckets from Payne and Brooke Reifinger down the stretch. 
 
Weigel finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a block.  Senior guard Chenice Russell (Moira, N.Y. / Brushton-Moira) had 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. 
 
Junior guard Carli Reynolds (Indian Lake, N.Y. / Indian Lake) had 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

SUNY Potsdam women's basketball coach Tara Ruckh presents Jessica Kouzan with the ball after Kouzan reached 1,000 points for her career.