PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team used a balanced offensive effort on Tuesday afternoon to defeat the Northern Vermont University-Johnson Badgers 72-66 in non-conference play. The Cardinals had four players in double figures, while also forcing 19 NVU-Johnson turnovers over the 40 minutes of game action.

A tandem of Peru natives led the way for Plattsburgh, as Kortney McCarthy (Peru, N.Y./Peru) and Bri Brousseau (Peru, N.Y./Peru) had 15 and 13 points, respectively, while McCarthy added five boards and four steals, and Brousseau had eight boards and two steals in 18 minutes of action off of the bench. Izzy Wilbur (Red Creek, N.Y./Red Creek) added 13 points to the Cardinal effort, while Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) had 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and just one turnover to round out the double-figure scorers for Plattsburgh. For the Badgers, Paris Atuahene, who ranks second in NCAA Division III in scoring, had 23 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, while Gabrielle Wardwell had a monster double-double with 14 points and 24 rebounds. 

Overall, NVU-Johnson shot the ball at a better clip than Plattsburgh, edging them 41% to 38.5%, but the Cards attempted 10 more shots as they forced 19 turnovers and turned those into 17 points. The Cardinals also won the paint battle 48-34, but rebounds were even overall at 45 apiece, even with Plattsburgh earning 22 second-chance points to the Badger's 12. Additionally, Plattsburgh's bench made a huge difference in the game's outcome as they outscored NVU's bench 25-8. 

Plattsburgh State improves to 5-8 overall, finishing with a 4-3 record in non-conference play. The team will play State University of New York Athletic Conference games for the remainder of the season, matching up with Buffalo State on Friday, Jan. 13 on the road. NVU-Johnson falls to 7-5 overall with the loss and will play Central Maine CC tomorrow, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m.

The game started with both teams sizzling, as both the Cardinals and Badgers played with a very quick tempo on offense. The lead swung back and forth as the team's traded points in the first period, leading to a deadlocked 19-19 score after 10 minutes played. NVU-Johnson was on fire in the first period, shooting 9-15 from the floor, but turnovers and second-chance opportunities allowed the Cards to stay with the hot-shooting Badgers. In the second quarter, Wilbur knocked two three-pointers within 37 seconds of the period's outset, giving the team a four-point lead that was strengthened by Imani Walcott's (Albany, N.Y./Albany) six points in the period not long after. Those two players' performances and stronger defense in the quarter allowed Plattsburgh to take a 38-31 lead into the break holding their largest lead of the game. 

At the start of the second half, the Badgers came out strong with back-to-back buckets to bring them within one early in the period. However, the Cardinals would continue to put together a balanced offensive effort, allowing them to build their lead, eventually taking an 11-point lead after an old-fashioned three-point play was completed by Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y./Saranac), who finished the night with seven points, six rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. NVU-Johnson would simply not go away though against the Cards, pulling back within five at the start of the fourth quarter and were down just three points after a lay-in and free throw from Atuahene with 3:26 to go. The Cards then got two huge plays from McCarthy down the stretch, as she has down all season, with the first-year guard knocking down a three-pointer to put her team back up six with a minute and a half to go. After two free throw makes from NVU-Johnson, and two misses from both teams, the Cardinals had the ball with the shot clock off. Off the inbounds play, Wilbur was able to find McCarthy wide open cutting to the rim to put the Cards up six once more, sealing the win for P-State.