Box Score New Paltz, NY — After trailing for most of the first half in its season opener Friday, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team came all the way back to take a six point lead with 28 seconds remaining in regulation. But, late foul trouble plagued the Hawks and allowed visiting Rochester Institute of Technology to inch back in, ultimately forcing overtime and handing SUNY New Paltz a 79-71 loss.
 
"At the end of the day there are no moral victories. You either win or you lose," said Hawks coach Jamie Seward. "We expected to compete with them. We expected to beat them. We know they are very good and that certainly is not to take anything away from them, but we expected to come out and play well and win the game. Unfortunately, they made a couple more plays than we did and we ended up on the wrong side of it." 
 
SUNY New Paltz took the early first quarter lead, going up by as many as six. The Tigers gained their first advantage of the game following a made 3-pointer by Brooke Stanley at the end of the period to push her team ahead, 20-18.
 
RIT built off its momentum in the second quarter and extended its cushion by as many as 12. The Hawks continued to chip away and ended the half on a 6-1 run, which cut the deficit to seven at the break.
 
SUNY New Paltz took over in the third quarter, out-scoring the Tigers, 25-13 in the period. Lindsay Bettke scored five-straight points, capped off with a turnaround jumper to tie the game at 37 for the Hawks. The two teams traded leads twice before SUNY New Paltz's Taylor Howell swished a 3 with less than two minutes to play, which ignited a 6-1 run that was capped off by Rachel Simon's banked runner at the buzzer.
 
With a five-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter, the Hawks held on to the cushion until deep into the fourth quarter. RIT cut the deficit to one three times down the stretch, including after a Sabrina Wolfe 3-pointer with 1:34 left.
 
Bettke responded with a made 3 and two made free throws to push her team's advantage to six with 28 seconds remaining.
 
However, the Tigers' Cori Okada took a step-back 3 to cut the deficit in half with 17 seconds to go in regulation. RIT was then forced to foul and SUNY New Paltz couldn't hit its free throws to ice the game.
 
Following a second missed free throw by the Hawks, the Tigers picked up the defensive board and with no timeouts remaining, found Okada and pushed the ball down the floor. Okada pulled up for a jumper behind the arc as 12 seconds ticked down and was fouled, earning three foul shots and a chance to tie.
 
After making all three attempts, Seward immediately called a timeout to advance the ball and draw up a play. Bettke drove toward the lane, spun and put up a long jumper that hit off the rim. Rachel Simon picked up the offensive board for the Hawks, but couldn't get her attempt to fall and ultimately the buzzer sounded with the game still tied at 63.
 
"We had some chances to open up the lead and maybe put a little distance between us and them," Seward said. "I think when we didn't do that it let them hang around enough that a couple plays that they made that we didn't and a couple of fouls we committed that we shouldn't have. It really ended up being the difference in the game."
 
With SUNY New Paltz in foul trouble and the momentum swung toward the Tigers, RIT took control in overtime, scoring six unanswered points to ultimately pull away and walk out with the win.
 
"I think they did some nice things and showed some good positive signs, but I have to do a better job of helping them finish that game," Seward said. "That is 100 percent on me. When your team is up six with 15 seconds to go or whatever you got to do a better job as a coach to get them to the finish line in front. Unfortunately I made some mistakes and they cost us. That one is squarely on me."
 
Bettke led SUNY New Paltz with 27 points, going 9-for-20 from the field, including 7-for-14 from 3-point range, while adding five rebounds and three assists. Simon followed with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Philesha Teape paced the team on the glass with 10 rebounds.
 
The Hawks (0-1) are back on the floor Tuesday, when they travel across the river to take on Vassar College for a 6 p.m. game.

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