PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Despite leading 17-9 after the first quarter of play, the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team was unable to get past Fredonia on Friday night at Memorial Hall, as the Cardinals lost a 63-48 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) decision.
 
Plattsburgh State received several strong individual efforts in a game in which it had Fredonia on the ropes several times. Senior guard Moe Jones (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) poured in a team-high 14 points, going 5-of-11 on shots inside the 3-point arc, while freshman guard/forward Olivia Souky (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) grabbed a game- and career-high 15 rebounds, 12 of which came on the defensive glass. Freshman forward Frannie Merkel (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) fell just short of a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.
 
For Fredonia, junior guard/forward Jacque Law netted a game-high 19 points, while senior guard Alexis Cheatham and sophomore forward Jenna Einink scored 13 points apiece. Sophomore forward Sarah Sweazy registered 10 points in 19 minutes coming off the bench. Law nearly posted a double-double with nine rebounds, while Cheatham distributed six assists.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 5-6 overall (1-4 SUNYAC) with the loss and hosts Buffalo State tomorrow at 4 p.m. Fredonia rises to 10-1 overall (5-0 SUNYAC) with the win and visits SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
While Fredonia seized an early 9-4 lead following a Law 3-pointer, Plattsburgh State put on one of its best defensive stretches of the season, holding the Blue Devils scoreless the rest of the first quarter. The Cardinals took the lead after a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Bella DePasquale (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley), and a Souky basket with 55 seconds remaining in the period gave Plattsburgh State a 17-9 lead through 10 minutes of play.
 
The Blue Devils scored eight unanswered points in the first 2:07 of the second quarter to tie the score before Jones and Merkel upped the Cardinal lead back to four. The two teams traded baskets down the stretch in the first half, and Jones cashed in on a layup just before the buzzer to knot the tally at 27-all entering the halftime intermission.
 
Though Plattsburgh State stayed within striking distance of Fredonia in the early goings of the third quarter, the Blue Devils eventually opened up a double-digit lead and outscored the Cardinals, 15-6, in the period. The margin dipped under 10 points just once in the fourth quarter following a pair of Jones free throws midway through the period, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Cheatham gave Fredonia the push it needed to hold off Plattsburgh State.
 
Fredonia shot 34.4 percent (21-of-61) from the floor on the game and held a slight 52-49 edge in rebounds. Plattsburgh State shot 23.6 percent (17-of-72) from the floor and 11.1 percent (3-of-27) from long range, while both teams finished with 15 turnovers.