NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Four players finished in double-figures for the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team as the Hawks handed visiting SUNY Oneonta a 61-48 defeat on Saturday afternoon at the Hawk Center in SUNYAC action. With the win, the Hawks still trail the Red Dragons, 13-10, in the Catskill Cup rivalry.
Both senior guard/forward Kit Small (Slingerlands, N.Y./Academy of the Holy Names) and senior forward Courtney Irby (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) scored 14 points to lead New Paltz (5-4, 2-2 SUNYAC), and combined for 17 rebounds and eight assists.
Sophomore guard Lindsay Bettke (Pelham, N.Y./The Ursuline School) tallied 12 points behind four three-pointers while senior guard/forward Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) notched 10 points and eight boards in 27 minutes of action.
The Red Dragons (5-4, 2-2 SUNYAC) were led by Cara Adams, who scored 13 points, and Alexa Amalbert, who grabbed 12 rebounds.
New Paltz did not start the first quarter as planned, trailing Oneonta 10-4 with 5:50 to go. But the Hawks countered with a 6-0 spurt, capped off by a three from Bettke to knot the contest at 10-10. The opening period ended deadlocked at 15-15.
The second stanza was friendlier to the Hawks as the home team went ahead by six, 25-16, with 2:54 to play before halftime. However, the Red Dragons responded on a 9-0 run before break to tie the contest at 25-25 going into intermission.
The Hawks began the second half on a 7-0 tear as Roessler and Irby both knocked down buckets to give New Paltz a 32-25 lead. Oneonta climbed to within two (33-31) but the home team didn't back down and claimed a 38-33 edge going into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was kind to New Paltz as the Hawks extended their advantage to nine points (50-41) with under four minutes to play. Key free throws down the stretch by Small and Irby iced the important SUNYAC win for New Paltz.
The Hawks will wrap up the 2016 portion of their schedule on Tuesday, Dec. 13 as the team hosts Mount Saint Mary at 7:30 p.m.