PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's basketball team fell at home on Friday evening against Brockport in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) contest, 70-64. Both teams had multiple players in double figures as Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany) and Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y. / Saranac) both scored 15 points. Walcott added nine rebounds, three blocks, and three steals while Couture added six rebounds, one block, and one steal.

Other Cardinals who contributed to the overall effort include Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y. / Roy C. Ketcham), Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown), and Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) who all scored 10 points each. Smith added three rebounds and two steals and Greek added four rebounds. Kathy Peterson-Ross (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest), Selma Deisz (Bekkestua, Norway / Nadderud VGS), and Bri Brousseau (Peru, N.Y. / Peru) were on the boards for the Cardinals as Peterson-Ross recorded five rebounds and Deisz and Brousseau both recorded four. Deisz also led the Cardinals in assists with four.

For the Golden Eagles, Zoe Zutes scored a game-high 27 points to go with eight rebounds and five blocks. Stephanie Jean-Baptiste was also in double figures as she scored 23 points to go with six rebounds.

Plattsburgh shot only 35.8% from the field while Brockport shot at a slightly higher mark at 38.6%. The Cardinals bench was a factor in their offensive output as they outscored the Golden Eagles bench 20-7. The Cardinals won the turnover battle 18-15 as both teams were locked in on defense and forcing turnovers but lost the rebounding battle 41-52. Despite the Cardinals forcing more turnovers, the Cardinals only got one more point from turnovers than the Golden Eagles as they had 15 to the Golden Eagles 14.

Plattsburgh moves to 6-6 overall (3-3 SUNYAC) with another league matchup with Geneseo tomorrow, Jan. 12, at 2 pm. Brockport improves to 7-6 overall (3-3 SUNYAC) as they travel to Potsdam tomorrow for a 2 pm tip-off.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair as there were five lead changes. The Cardinals got on the board first with a layup from Deisz followed by a Walcott layup. Jean-Baptiste got the Golden Eagles on the board with a layup that got a quick response from the Cardinals by another Walcott layup that made the score 6-2 Cardinals with a little over eight minutes to play. The Golden Eagles got their first lead of the game momentarily by a three from Zutes before Couture tied the game with a free throw with less than seven minutes to play. The Cardinals retook the lead at the 6:16 mark 9-7 on a Couture layup. The Golden Eagles took the lead once again at the 3:56 mark and held it for the rest of the quarter as it ended 23-18.

The second quarter saw a Cardinals comeback as they outscored the Golden Eagles 16-9. Zutes started the second with a layup followed by a Wilson jumper. The Cardinals took the lead 26-25 on a Wilson three at the 8:39 mark and held it for the remainder of the second as they went into halftime up 34-32.

The third quarter got started with a Couture jumper to which Zutes responded with back-to-back threes that gave the Golden Eagles the lead 38-36 with a little over seven minutes left which they kept for the remainder of the third. From the 5:01 mark until the 4:12 mark, the Golden Eagles went on a 7-0 run that stretched their lead to 10. The Cardinals responded with four straight points that made the score 50-44 Golden Eagles. The quarter ended with an 8-4 Cardinal run that made the score 54-52 Golden Eagles.

The fourth quarter started when both teams exchanged buckets as Jean-Baptiste made a layup and Greek responded with a three. The Cardinals tied the game at 57 on free throws from Walcott at the 6:51 mark. Shortly after the Cardinals took the lead 59-57 with over six minutes to play. The lead switched again as Zutes made a three that gave the Golden Eagles the edge 62-59 with over four minutes to play. With less than two minutes to play, Deisz made a jumper that cut the Golden Eagles' lead to one, but Jean-Baptiste made a layup that put the Golden Eagles' lead back to three as the score was 67-64. With less than a minute to play, the Cardinals fouled the Golden Eagles and got the ball back after a missed free throw but weren't able to take advantage of the offensive opportunities and eventually fell 70-64.