CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team dropped a 75-46 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) decision to SUNY Cortland on Friday evening at Corey Gymnasium.
 
Cortland shot 46.6 percent (27-of-58) from the field and 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the line on the evening, while Plattsburgh State fashioned a 16-of-53 (30.2 percent) shooting performance from the floor. The Red Dragons forced the Cardinals into 23 turnovers and scored 32 points off those giveaways while also finishing with a 39-30 edge in rebounds.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 9-11 overall (5-9 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits Oswego State tomorrow for a 4 p.m. tip-off. Cortland rises to 9-11 overall (8-5 SUNYAC) with the win and hosts SUNY Potsdam tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
While senior guard Moe Jones (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) scored the first basket of the game, Cortland scored the next 11 points and never looked back, holding the lead throughout the rest of the contest. The Red Dragons ended the first quarter on a 7-0 run to hold a 21-6 cushion through 10 minutes of play.
 
Cortland broke the game open in the second quarter, scoring the first 13 points of the period to stake itself to a commanding 34-6 advantage. The Red Dragons opened up a 28-point lead two more times in the stanza—the last of which came off a layup by freshman forward Kate Carey with 1:59 left in the period—before the Cardinals closed the half with eight unanswered points, and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by senior guard Jax Miller (Argyle, N.Y./Argyle) cut the Plattsburgh State deficit to 41-21 heading into halftime.
 
Plattsburgh State outscored Cortland, 17-15, in the third quarter, as the Cardinals answered a 10-2 Red Dragon surge to begin the period with a 15-5 run of their own to enter the final regulation period down 18 (56-38). The Red Dragons kept the Cardinals off the board for the first 4:25 of the fourth quarter to prevent a comeback bid, and they led by as many as 29 points in the final moments of the game.
 
Freshman guard Brooke Benna (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) scored a career-high 15 points in 23 minutes off the bench to pace the Cardinal offense, while sophomore guard Bella DePasquale (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) nearly posted a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds.
 
Senior guard Cassidy Chapko poured in a game-high 22 points to lead Cortland, while senior forward Alyssa Crosby added 10.