Box Score Box Score
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Stellar defense and strong first-half shooting lifted the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team (9-7, 7-2 SUNYAC) to a 77-48 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory over SUNY Oswego (7-9, 4-5 SUNYAC) Tuesday night in the Hawk Center.
In a game that saw frequent changes in possession due to turnovers, the Hawks relied on a hot shooting touch in the first half, taking a 30-point lead into the break. Oswego turned the ball over 36 times on the night, while New Paltz coughed it up on 30 occasions.
New Paltz shot 43.3 percent (29-of-67) on the game, which included a 51.4 percent mark (19-of-37) in the first half. Oswego kept the tilt from getting out of hand due to a steady hand at the line. The Lakers shot 19-of-24 (79.2 percent) from the charity stripe, making more free throws on the evening than field goals. Oswego struggled from the field in the first half, going 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) from the floor. However, the Lakers turned it around the final 20 minutes, hitting 39.1 percent of their shots. New Paltz dominated the glass, outrebounding Oswego by a 49-28 margin.
Both sides played tight for the first six minutes of the contest. With 13:51 to go in the first half, Oswego's Colleen McCready sank a free-throw shot to bring the Lakers within two at 9-7. New Paltz then responded with a 17-0 run, during which sophomore guard
Kahsyrah Bryant (North Babylon, N.Y.) drained six points. The cushion stayed below 20 points briefly until the Hawks ended the half on a 15-2 run, which spanned the final 5:56 of the period. New Paltz took a 47-17 lead into the locker room.
Oswego kept New Paltz from extending that first-half lead in the end, though the Hawks wound up leading by as many as 40 in the second half, which happened on two occasions. Karolyn Kipper ensured that the Lakers would outscore the Hawks in the second stanza, as she drained a last-second layup to cut the New Paltz edge to 29.
Three Hawks reached double-digit scoring figures. Junior guard
Zoe Cohen (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the way with 17 points coming off the bench, while sophomore guard
Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y.) and junior forward
Shanay Bradley (Bronx, N.Y.) contributed 15 and 11 points, respectively. Cohen's 17 points came due in large part to her 5-of-7 mark from three-point range. Bradley recorded a double-double by adding 12 rebounds, which served as a game-high. Cohen provided support on the defensive end of the floor, totaling five steals on the night.
For Oswego, Kayla Ryan led the way, thanks largely to her accurate free-throw shooting. She went 8-of-9 from the line on the contest, and she also filled out the stat sheet with 12 points, nine boards, one assist, one block and one steal.
New Paltz begins the second round of SUNYAC play this weekend, hosting the two North Country teams. The Hawks take on SUNY Potsdam on Friday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. before entertaining SUNY Plattsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m.
