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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the Hawk Center will serve as host to a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal-round game for the sixth straight year, as the second-seeded State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team (17-8, 15-3 SUNYAC) hosts seventh-seeded SUNY Plattsburgh (10-14, 7-11 SUNYAC) at 7 p.m.

TICKETING INFORMATION
Tickets for adults are $5, while college students with valid ID will be admitted for $2. There will be no advanced ticketing, but the Hawk Center box office will open an hour before tip-off. The box office is located on the right-hand side upon entering the main entrance to the Athletic & Wellness Center.

HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
New Paltz has played well at the Hawk Center since its opening in 2006, as the Hawks have gone 62-13 in the facility. This year, New Paltz has achieved a 9-2 record at home, with its only two losses coming in the 2011 portion of its schedule. During the 2010-11 season, the Hawks went unbeaten against SUNYAC teams at the Hawk Center.

ABOUT THE SERIES
New Paltz and Plattsburgh have shared the court 41 times, and the Hawks lead the series 24-17. New Paltz has all-time winning records against only two other league opponents: SUNY Fredonia and SUNY Potsdam. Tuesday's matchup will mark the first appearance between the two programs in the postseason. This year, the Hawks swept the regular-season series, downing the Cardinals 75-61 on Dec. 6 at New Paltz and 79-72 on Feb. 14 at Plattsburgh. The Cardinals' last win over New Paltz came on Jan. 17, 2009, when they prevailed, 72-65, at home.

NEW PALTZ IN THE POSTSEASON
The Hawks will be in search of their first-ever SUNYAC title, as they are 5-9 all-time in the SUNYAC Tournament. New Paltz has made the conference tournament during each of head coach Jamie Seward's six years with the team, and the Hawks qualified for the 2007 ECAC Division III Upstate Tournament, losing to SUNY Oswego, 71-59, in the quarterfinals.

ON A HOT STREAK
Since losing to Montclair State, 71-50, on Dec. 13, New Paltz has turned its season completely around. After limping into the winter break with a 3-7 overall record, the Hawks have won 14 of their 15 games played in the 2012 portion of their schedule, with their only setback during that span coming against Buffalo State on the road on Jan. 27. Buffalo State, which owns the SUNYAC's top seed in the league's postseason tournament, also has only one loss since the turn of the calendar year.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
New Paltz has caused a load of problems for the opposition on the defensive side of the floor this year, as the Hawks lead the league in blocked shots (106, 4.24 per game) and steals (330, 13.20 per game). They also are tops in the conference in turnover margin (+4.52) and offensive rebounds (458, 18.24 per game). Individually, senior forward Shanay Bradley (Bronx, N.Y./New Explorers) paces the SUNYAC in rebounds per game (8.9) and blocked shots per game (1.3), while junior forward Alex McCullough (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) ranks third in the conference in blocked shots per game (1.19). McCullough has proven herself as one of the best shot blockers in the history of the program, as she stands just one block away from tying the all-time school mark of 103 set by Dana Maul from 1992-94. Junior guard Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) and senior guard Caitlin Irwin (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) rank among the top perimeter defenders in the league, as Fisher is second in the SUNYAC in steals per game (2.32), while Irwin ranks third (2.28).

HEAD COACH JAMIE SEWARD
Jamie Seward is by far the winningest coach in program history, as he inherited a team that had just two winning seasons in its history before helming the team prior to the 2006-07 campaign. Seward became the program's first 100-game winner this season, as he reached the milestone following a 76-50 win over The College at Brockport on Feb. 4. He boasts a career overall record of 104-56.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Plattsburgh has relied all season on Kathleen Payne to put up big offensive numbers, and she has oftentimes answered the call, averaging 19.7 points per game. Payne also takes high-percentage shots, as she shoots the ball at a 44.5 percent clip. The Cardinals average 65.3 points per game, which ranks third in the conference, but they have struggled defensively, yielding an average of 65.9 points per game. Beyond her offensive contributions, Payne leads the team on the glass, averaging a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game, and also owns team-high averages in steals (1.8) and blocked shots (1.1). Catherine Cassidy and Brittany Marshall help key the offense with 3.5 and 3.2 assists per game, respectively, while Marshall averages 11.0 points per game. In her 15 years at the controls, head coach Cheryl Cole has achieved an overall record of 150-228 and has led the Cardinals to 10 postseason berths.