CANTON, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam women's basketball team (1-1) defeated SUNY Canton (0-2) 63-41 on Friday night at the Roos House. The victory was the first of new Potsdam head coach Brittany Cohen's career and it came on the court named after her late hall of fame grandfather Stan. Freshman guard Drew DuFrane (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) led the Bears with 14 points and senior captain Patti Dorgler (Floral Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) recorded a career-high 13 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Kangaroos got on the board first, but Potsdam answered with a 7-0 run. Sophomore guard Abbey Smith (Bainbridge, N.Y./Bainbridge-Guilford) scored the first five with a jumper and a 3-pointer and Dorgler capped the run with another jumper. After Canton rallied with four points to tie the game, the Bears closed the quarter on a 7-2 stretch to grab a 14-9 lead. Dorgler and sophomore guards Janay Smith (Bronx, N.Y./Wings Academy) and Secret Clark (Bronx, N.Y./NYC Charter for A.E.C.I.) each added two's during the run.
 
Potsdam's strong execution continued during the second 10 minutes, as the Bears doubled up the Roos 12-6 for a 26-15 halftime advantage. All Potsdam's points came from five different players. Dorgler and DuFrane each hit threes, while junior Emily Drake (Athens, N.Y./Coxsackie-Athens), senior captain Meghan Driscoll (Troy, N.Y./Troy) and sophomore Victoria Shopovick (White Plains, N.Y./Maria Regina) combined for the other six points.
 
The third quarter was Potsdam's best offensively, as they put up another 20 points to Canton's 10. The Bears began to pull away with 12-3 run over the first 5:21. Clark led the charge with six points, while Dufrane and Dorgler each chipped in another four each.
 
Potsdam edged the Roos 17-16 in the final quarter to close out the 63-41 win. Dorgler had another six points and Abbey Smith finished strong with a final three and a jumper.
 
Abbey Smith matched a career-high with 11 points and Clark contributed 10 points. Jenifer Morgan-Aubin had a contest-best 17 points and 15 rebounds for Canton and Randi Conway and Taylor Saltus each had seven points for the Roos.
 
The Bears are now off until Nov. 29, when they head across town to face Clarkson University at 6 p.m.