NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Senior guard Shannan Walker (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) scored a career-high 22 points behind a career-high six three pointers, leading the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team past SUNY Cortland 75-65 on Saturday afternoon at the Hawk Center.
 
With the victory, the Hawks improve to 11-6, 7-3 in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) and move into a tie for second place in the league with the Red Dragons. New Paltz will now prepare to host SUNY Oneonta on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Cortland moves to 13-4, 7-3 SUNYAC and takes on The College at Brockport on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
 
In addition to Walker, the Hawks had three other players finish in double figures as sophomore guard/forward Kit Small (Slingerlands, N.Y./Academy of the Holy Names) tallied 14 points and sophomore forward Courtney Irby(Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) and junior guard/forward Colleen Ames (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) both scored 11 points each. Small and Irby both enjoyed double-doubles with 10 rebounds apiece.
 
For the contest, the Hawks made 11 three-pointers with Walker tying her career high with six, Ames netting three and senior guard Ashley Riefenhauser (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) recording two. Walker was one three-pointer away from tying the Hawk Center record set by Caitlin Irwin of New Paltz in 2008. New Paltz forced 19 Cortland turnovers and scored 30 points off the Red Dragons' mistakes.
 
The Hawks enjoyed early success, jumping out a 15-4 lead less than five minutes into the game after a layup by freshman guard/forward Laura Stuart (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue). New Paltz increased its lead to 15 points (21-6) after Walker knocked down a three with 14:21 remaining in the first half.
 
Ames added to the New Paltz advantage with a three of her own a little over a minute later to provide the Hawks with a 24-8 edge. As the first half continued, the New Paltz lead never fell to less than 10 points before the Red Dragons went on a 12-2 run to close the opening period with New Paltz clinging to a 36-31 lead.
 
The second half started much like the first with the Hawks knocking down shots from deep range. Walker tallied a pair of three-pointers on consecutive possessions to increase the New Paltz lead to nine (42-33) less than two minutes into the second stanza and the Hawks increased that advantage to 14 (49-35) after a fast-break layup by Irby at 15:45.
 
The Hawks led by a game-high 17 points (56-39) with 12 minutes to play before Cortland went on another spurt, this time a 10-0 run, to trim the New Paltz lead down to just seven (56-49) with eight minutes remaining.
 
Trying to stop the clock and play catch-up, the Red Dragons were forced to foul down the stretch. Fortunately for the Hawks, Walker, Small and freshman guard Sydney Pinn (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) knocked down several foul shots to seal the league win and split the regular-season series with Cortland.
 
For the Red Dragons, junior forward Brittney Dumas led the offense with 21 points while senior forwards Brooke DeMarco and Rae Frasier tallied 11 and 10, respectively.