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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The top-seeded State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team (23-3) is going to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Basketball Tournament final for the first time since 2010 after defeating No. 5 SUNY Plattsburgh (15-12) in the SUNYAC Tournament semifinal round on Friday at the Hawk Center, 63-59.
 
The Hawks will take on No. 2 SUNY Geneseo (20-6) in the championship game at 4 p.m. at the Hawk Center. Geneseo reached the final game by defeating No. 3 SUNY Oswego (18-9) in their matchup at the Hawk Center on Friday, 67-51.
 
TICKET PRICING: Tickets for Friday's semifinal games and Saturday's final game are $6 for adults, $3 for children 12 and under and FREE for all SUNY students with ID.
 
HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE: The Hawks currently have a 12-1 record at the Hawk Center this year, taking their only loss in the final regular season home game against SUNY Oneonta. That loss snapped the Hawks' 18-game home winning streak that stretched back to January 2012. Since the Hawk Center opened in 2006, the women's basketball team has a record of 75-14 (.843) at home. This year is the first time that New Paltz has hosted the SUNYAC Women's Basketball Tournament.
 
NEW PALTZ VS. GENESEO HISTORY: The New Paltz women's basketball program has generally struggled against Geneseo, holding a 12-27 all-time record against the Blue Knights. Head coach Jamie Seward has fared better than his predecessors, going 11-3 against Geneseo over his tenure. The two teams split the season series, each winning its respective home game.
 
SUNYAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: New Paltz is now one step closer to its first-ever SUNYAC title. They are 7-10 all-time in the SUNYAC Tournament. The Hawks have made the conference tournament in each of head coach Jamie Seward's seven seasons at the helm. New Paltz has reached the tournament final just one time, falling to SUNY Cortland in 2010, 51-45.
 
STATISTICAL LEADERS: While the Hawks do not have a single scorer in the top-10 in the SUNYAC, they enter Saturday's final with six student-athletes averaging 6.2 points per game or better, including three scoring 9.3 or better. Senior forward Alex McCullough (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central), who broke the 1,000-point plateau in the final regular season game against Oneonta, leads the Hawks with 10.8 points per game, as well as 2.0 blocks per game. Freshman forward Michelle Valle (New York, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science/Mathematics) stands second on the team with 9.9 points per game, while leading the squad with 8.3 rebounds per game. Senior guards Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) and Kahsyrah Bryant (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) average 9.3 and 8.6 points per game, respectively. Fisher entered the tournament on a three-game double-double streak, which was snapped in Friday's victory.
 
HEAD COACH JAMIE SEWARD: After this record-breaking regular season and Friday's semifinal win, Seward has improved his overall record to 128-60 as the New Paltz women's basketball head coach, making him by far the winningest coach in program history. As stated previously, he has never missed a SUNYAC tournament over his tenure in New Paltz, but is still in search of his first title. This year is the first time his team has finished the regular season atop the conference.
 
SCOUTING THE BLUE KNIGHTS: Allison McKenna had a big night for Geneseo in their semifinal victory over No. 3 SUNY Oswego. She netted 19 points while pulling down five rebounds and blocking three shots. Shannon McGinnis leads the Blue Knights with 12.1 points per game, while Melissa Graham is right behind her with 12.0. McGinnis is also the SUNYAC's leading rebounder, averaging 8.8 per game. McKenna is second in the conference in blocked shots with 2.2 per game. As a team, the Blue Knights rank first in the conference with 65.9 points per game. They are also ranked second in scoring defense with 49.9 points allowed per game. Head coach Scott Hemer has amassed a 98-63 record over his tenure at Geneseo, which includes a 26-4 mark in 2010-11, when the Blue Knights won the SUNYAC title.