PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Led by senior guard/forward Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y. / Saranac) with a 21-point double-double, the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team opens up the Holiday Inn Express Cardinal Classic with a 52-45 win over Vermont State University (VTSU) Castleton. After trailing by two points at the start of the fourth quarter, the Cardinals took the lead on two made free throws from Couture at the 6:26 mark and didn't give it back.

Couture led all scorers with a game-high 21 points to go with 10 rebounds for her second double-double in a row. Sophomore guard Selma Deisz (Bekkestua, Norway / Nadderud VGS) also contributed to the scoring for the Cardinals with 10 points while adding three rebounds, one block, a steal, and an assist. Junior center Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany) added nine rebounds and five points while Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown) had nine points, five rebounds, and a career-high four assists.

For the Spartans, Arianna Coombs led the team in scoring with 12 points and five rebounds while Maggie McKearin led the team in rebounds with 10 to go with 10 points for a double-double.

The Cardinals shot a solid 31.1% from the field and went 11 of 13 from the line at 84.6% compared to the Spartans who only shot 27.4% from the field and 57.1% from the line. The Spartans won the rebounding battle 49 to 39 while the Cardinals forced 21 Spartan turnovers leading to 12 points. Both teams had double digit assists as the Cardinals had 11 and the Spartans 13.

Plattsburgh State rises to 1-1 overall with the win and are back in action tomorrow, Nov. 16 as they close out the Holiday Inn Express Cardinal Classic against Utica at 3 p.m. Before the start of the game, Plattsburgh will celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of Women's Basketball. VTSU-Castleton falls to 1-1 with the loss and are back in action tomorrow, Nov. 16 as they open up the second day of the Holiday Inn Express Cardinal Classic against Potsdam at 1 p.m.

The Cardinals opened up the first quarter with a 3-0 lead after a layup from Wilson and a free throw from Walcott. The Spartans didn't score their first basket until the 5:07 mark off a Coombs layup that made the score 3-2 Cardinals. A layup from Couture followed by a jumper from Deisz extended the Cardinals' lead to 7-2. Both teams went scoreless from the 3:47 mark until the 2:00 mark when Emily Dingmon made a free throw that cut the Cardinals' lead to five. After trading threes back and forth multiple times the Cardinals went into the second quarter with a 15-10 lead.

Coombs got the scoring started in the second with a layup just 15 seconds in. The Cardinal responded quickly with a Wilson layup off an offensive rebound that made the score 17-12 Cardinals at the 9:25 mark. A 10-0 run for the Spartans from the 8:34 mark until the 6:08 mark gave them a 25-19 lead. The Cardinals responded with back-to-back buckets that made the score 26-23 Spartans. A layup from Diesz off the dish from Wilson gave the Cardinals back the lead momentarily before a jumper from Coombs gave the Spartans a 30-29 lead. It was Coombs again as she closed out the quarter with another layup that gave the Spartans a 32-29 lead at halftime.

The third quarter didn't see a point scored until the 5:48 mark when Nolan Schuylar made a layup followed by a three from Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) that made the score 34-32 Spartans. Four straight points from Couture gave the Cardinals a 36-34 lead before a 6-0 run from the Spartans closed out the quarter and made the score 40-36 Spartans at the end of three.

A 9-0 Plattsburgh run to start the fourth quarter gave the Cardinals back the lead for good as they led 45-40 with less than six minutes remaining. Couture and Deisz added to the lead with back-to-back buckets that made the score 49-41 at the 3:34 mark. The Spartans threatened after scoring four straight points that brought them within four with less than two minutes remaining. However, the Cardinals' defense was strong, not allowing another Spartan point, and closed out the fourth on a 3-0 run for a 52-45 victory.