Box Score  New Paltz, NY — After coming back from a 12-point first half deficit Saturday, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team was a minute away from pulling off a come back. Tied at 69 following a made 3 by Nicole Ziogas, the Hawks needed a defensive stand to finally pull ahead. But, Leanne Corso, like she had done all game long, stepped up for SUNY Oneonta (7-1 overall, 3-0 SUNYAC) to knock down a go-ahead 3-point bucket that was ultimately the difference in the game, handing the Hawks (4-3, 2-1) a 76-69 loss.

"I think No. 1 is you have to give Oneonta a lot of credit," said SUNY New Paltz coach Jamie Seward. "They really took it to us. When it came to lose balls, balls that were in the air that could go either way, they came up with those. In a [close] game those are obviously key and then we didn't execute our game plan on either end of the floor." 

After a high-scoring first quarter that saw the Hawks take a 20-18 lead over the visiting Red Dragons, SUNY New Paltz struggled on the offensive end in the second period and allowed SUNY Oneonta to build a cushion.

The Red Dragons zone defense limited the Hawks, who couldn't get their shots to fall. They finished the first half shooting just 25.6 percent (10-of-39) from the floor, while on the defensive end, couldn't stop Corso inside, who went into halftime already nearing a double-double.

"We went through a stretch in the second quarter where weren't scoring. I think we might have scored three points in about eight minutes, but you can withstand that — and we're going to have some of those times," Seward said. "We rely on the 3 heavily and so when you have stretches when you're not making shots you have to defend and we didn't do that. We didn't execute things that we worked on all week defensively that clearly allowed them to get easy shots. Again, credit to them. Leanne Corso made those shots. She was 6-of-8 from 3, but when you give a good shooter wide open looks and let her get going like that then you are asking for trouble."

Taylor Howell tied the score midway through the fourth quarter, burying a 3 off an assist from Lindsay Bettke. Following a turnover on the ensuing Red Dragons possession, Bettke gave the Hawks their first lead of the second half with 6 minutes, 34 seconds to go in regulation.

The two teams traded advantages three times in the following two minutes with SUNY Oneonta going up by as many as five with about two minutes remaining. Paige Niemeyer sank a jumper and then Ziogas buried a corner 3 to tie the score at 69 with a minute left.

The Red Dragons called a timeout immediately after the made Ziogas bucket and drew up a sideline play for Corso. Out of the timeout, SUNY Oneonta inbounded while Corso worked her way around a screen and found some space just above the arc. Madeline Frank found the 5-foot, 9-inch forward who knocked down the 3-pointer to put her team ahead.

"Corso had a great night, but we did not do things that I thought we had prepared for," Seward said. "Not only did we not do that, but we didn't do that time and time again and she made us pay for it. Even on that last possession when she hit the 3, we said that is exactly what they are going to do and that is exactly what they did, and yet somehow we still don't contest that shot and she hits what ultimately was the game winner."

With time winding down and looking at a three-point deficit, SUNY New Paltz was forced to foul to stop the clock. SUNY Oneonta was clutch at the charity stripe and closed out the game with the win.

Rachel Simon led the Hawks with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. She was followed by Lindsay Bettke who added 14 points, four rebounds and five assists. Coros finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 10-of-13 from the field, while Alexa Amalbert chipped in with 22 points and six rebounds for the Red Dragons.

SUNY New Paltz is back on the court Dec. 30 when it takes on Cabrini University in the first game of the Moravian College tournament. 

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