After nearly three weeks since its last contest, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team is back on the floor Sunday and Monday in the Steel Club Classic at Moravian College.
 
Along with the Hawks and the hosting Greyhounds, Cabrini University and Delaware Valley University are also entered in the tournament.
 
SUNY New Paltz (4-3 overall), which is coming off a loss against conference rival SUNY Oneonta, will take on the Cavaliers Sunday at 12 p.m. The winner will move on to the championship game Monday at 1 p.m. against the winner of Moravian and the Aggies, while the losing teams will face off in the consolation game at 11 a.m.
 
The loss against the Red Dragons ended a two game winning streak for the Hawks, who had won four of their last five games prior to the defeat.
 
"I believe that each and every one of us have been really hungry over break," said SUNY New Paltz senior guard Rachel Simon. "We've been talking in our group chat that we're ready to get back at it. Christmas was great, spending time with our families was great, but we're ready to get back with our family here and we're excited. We're really excited to get the ball rolling here."
 
The Hawks have out-scored their opponents 514-481 through their first seven games with Simon (19.6 points per game), Lindsay Bettke (14.4 points per game) and Marion Dietz (10.1 points per game) all averaging double-figure points.
 
As a team defensively, SUNY New Paltz has allowed teams to score less than 70 points per game, holding the opposition to 43 percent shooting from the floor and 30 percent from 3-point range. The Hawks have also won the turnover battle committing just 102 to 148 by opponents, while averaging nearly 10 steals per game as a team.
 
Cabrini University (5-6) is coming off a pair of losses against Wartburg College and Salisbury University Dec. 19 and 20, which put an end to a three-game winning streak.

The Cavaliers also have three players scoring in double-figures this season with Nomi Washington leading the way with 14.8 points per game. As a team, they average 62 points per game, shooting 33 percent from the field.
 
"We know they've got some big girls. They've got some wide bodies and for the most part all of them can shoot," Simon said. "We're just going to take it at them. It is really not a matter of who we're playing. We're going to play the same every time… we're just going to push the ball. That is our game. We're just going to play New Paltz basketball."
 
Moravian (7-3) has gone 2-2 in its last four games and most recently lost a tight 57-53 game against Muhlenberg College. Maddie Capuano leads the Greyhounds, as the junior guard is averaging nearly 22 points per game.
 
Meanwhile, the Aggies (5-4) have had a back-and-forth year, going 2-5 in their last seven games after opening up the season, 2-0. Like Moravian, Delaware Valley University has played in low scoring games this season. As a team, the Aggies average just 63 points per game, while yielding about 61 points a contest. Junior guards Ashley Smink and Dom Moser lead the team offensively, averaging 15.6 and 14.1 points per game, respectively.
 
"It's exciting. We love these little tournaments to get a taste of a championship," Simon said. "Small, but every win matters and we're excited. Hopefully we can get these wins and translate that into conference play."

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