PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After back-and-forth play to start, the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team closed the door with a strong second and fourth quarter to pull away late for a 59-49 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) win over Oneonta on Friday evening. Senior guard/forward Payton Couture (Redford, N.Y. / Saranac) led the way for the Cardinals with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Junior center Imani Walcott (Albany, N.Y. / Albany) had a strong performance as well with 14 points and 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Julia Greek (Long Island, N.Y. / Ward Melville) and Selma Deisz (Bekkestua, Norway / Nadderud VGS) both put in eight points while Greek had six assists, three rebounds, and three steals and Deisz had three rebounds. Junior guard Jaden Wilson (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown) had a solid night with seven points, two rebounds, and two assists.

For the Red Dragons, Nai Torres led her team in points with 15 while Amanda Zuntag had 12 points and led her team in rebounding with eight.

The Cardinals shot well from the field, shooting 42.9% but only shot 26.3% from the three and 66.7% from the free throw line. The Red Dragons shot a solid 34.9% from the field, 5.9% from the three, and 36.4% from the free throw line. The Cardinals were stronger on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 41-32 while both teams had six second-chance points. The Red Dragons had more points off turnovers with 13 while the Cardinals had seven.

Plattsburgh State rises to 10-5 (6-2 SUNYAC) with the win and next hosts New Paltz tomorrow, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. Oneonta falls to 6-10 (3-6 SUNYAC) with the loss and next travels to Potsdam tomorrow, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m.

Neither team gained any momentum in the first quarter until a 9-0 run from Plattsburgh led by Walcott with four points put the Cardinals ahead 15-6 at the 4:24 mark. However, Oneonta responded with a run of their own to end the quarter and made the score 15-14 Cardinals after one.

A three-pointer from Lidia Boucher gave the Red Dragons the lead momentarily but back-to-back three-pointers from the Cardinals put the Cardinals back ahead 20-17 at the 8:03 mark. A quick 6-0 burst from Plattsburgh led by Couture with four points extended the Cardinal's lead to 26-19 at the 6:12 mark and while a layup from Torres ended the run the Cardinals went on a 10-0 tear to end the quarter and made the score 36-21 Cardinals at halftime.

The third quarter saw Oneonta battle back as the Red Dragons opened the quarter with an 8-0 run that made the score 36-29 Cardinals at the 5:35 mark but the Cardinals continued to respond and scored back-to-back layups at the end of the quarter and went into the third quarter with a 42-35 lead.

Plattsburgh outscored Oneonta 17-14 in the fourth quarter and the Red Dragons couldn't make up the difference after a late 5-0 burst from Plattsburgh made the score 52-42 Cardinals with less than two minutes remaining. The Red Dragons cut the lead to six, but the Cardinals responded each time and ultimately won 59-49.