The State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team enters its first home conference game of the season Saturday, taking on Catskill Cup rival SUNY Oneonta.

The Red Dragons (6-1 overall, 2-0 SUNYAC) like the Hawks (4-2, 2-0) are coming off a pair of road wins over SUNY Potsdam and Plattsburgh State, with SUNY Oneonta out-scoring the opposition 140-119 over the weekend. Its only loss this season came at home against Hartwick College, 67-54.

The Red Dragons return nearly its entire roster from last season where they finished second in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament before falling to eventual conference champion, SUNY Geneseo. 

The only senior SUNY Oneonta graduated was guard Samantha Lisikatos, who now serves as an assistant for SUNY New Paltz coach Jamie Seward.

"I think this will be our first real test," said Hawks senior guard Lindsay Bettke. "Oneonta is a good program. We've had trouble with them in the past. Last season we lost twice to them, but our coach really expressed the importance of this game. They are our rivals, so we're really looking to get this win."

Through seven games, the Red Dragons have averaged 60 points, while giving up an average of 51.3 against. They scored a season-high 72 points in their most recent outing against the Cardinals where they shot 53 percent from the field.

Junior guard Olivia Allrich and senior forward Madeline Frank lead the team, averaging about 11 points per game. Frank is the team's best rebounder, pulling down nearly 10 per game, while also shooting around 40 percent from the field.

"I know they are really tall," Bettke said. "They have long arms on defense, so it is hard for us to get the ball moving, but I think we have a pretty good idea of our game plan going into it and how to beat their defense. We just have to execute and it will be fine."

The Hawks have put up points in bunches during their first six games, averaging 74.2 points per game. They too are coming off a dominant opening SUNYAC weekend, defeating SUNY Potsdam, 82-54, and Plattsburgh State, 69-50.

"Some takeaways from the previous weekend was just sticking to the game plan and knowing what we went into the game trying to execute and just executing it to the best of our abilities," said SUNY New Paltz junior forward Philesha Teape. "Just staying aggressive on the defensive end and the offensive end, attacking the basket, rebounding, all those things."

Rachel Simon, Lindsay Bettke and Marion Dietz lead the team with 18.5, 14.5 and 10.5 points per game, respectively, but SUNY New Paltz has gotten solid contributions from a variety of players as of late. Senior guard Taylor Howell put up a career-high 21 points to lead her team past the Bears Dec. 1, while Nicole Ziogas added a season-high 12 points during the Hawks' win over the Cardinals Nov. 30. Teape has also been a welcome addition to the lineup, her physicality around the basket, along with her tenacity on defense has earned her 20 minutes per game this season, a career-high.

"I'm really excited being a starter this season and being consistent as a starter," Teape said. "Some things I'm looking forward to [is] just developing myself as a player and also just being the best player I can be for my team. They need me right now on the court to just rebound especially."

Last season, the Red Dragons won the home-and-home against the Hawks, including a tight, 54-52 victory at the Hawk Center. SUNY New Paltz is looking forward to avenging last season's loss Saturday with tip-off scheduled at 2 p.m.  

"It is extremely important to come out with a win this weekend," Teape added. "Oneonta is one of our biggest rivals, getting a W against them is amazing so we have to come out strong this weekend."

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