Boston, MA — The State University of New York at New Paltz collected its second-straight victory Friday night after earning a 76-56 win over MIT in the first round of the Tufts Tournament Tip Off.
 
In their last game against RIT, the No. 23 ranked Hawks let up in the third quarter and allowed the opposition to climb back in and make a run at their lead. They ultimately closed out for the victory, but against the Engineers Friday they made sure not to have another third-quarter slump.
 
Philesha Teape opened up the period with a put-back to give SUNY New Paltz its first double-digit lead of the game and after trading baskets on the ensuing possessions the Hawks took over to build a 20-plus point cushion. SUNY New Paltz out-scored MIT 24-7 in the period, while out-rebounding their opposition 18-8 in the 10-minute span as well. Teape was the catalyst in the stretch, totaling seven of her team's 18 boards in the quarter, including three on the offensive glass, while adding eight points. 
"We really set the tone on the offensive glass to start the second half, and Phil in particular really exerted her will on the game," said Hawks coach Jamie Seward.
 
Despite remaining close to SUNY New Paltz for most of the first half, the Engineers led for just the early minutes of the game before the Hawks jumped out in front. They took a three-point advantage into the second quarter and kept a slight cushion throughout the following 10 minutes.
 
With two minutes left in the half, Marion Dietz started getting hot from the perimeter, as she hit three-straight 3's to boost her team's lead to eight. Alexis Groark answered for MIT, but Dietz got the last word of the half. After a defensive stop on the Engineers last position, Maddie Van Pelt grabbed the defensive rebound and found Dietz who pushed the ball up the floor, going coast-to-coast to lay in a bucket as time expired to thicken the cushion to eight at the break.
 
Opening up the third quarter, the two teams traded baskets following Teape's opening points. Cindy Si made 1-of-2 from the line to cut the deficit back down to eight, but the Hawks countered with a 15-0 run to take control of the game. SUNY New Paltz stretched its advantage to as many as 25 in the period following Maddie Van Pelt's basket with time winding down to end the third.
 
"Defensively we weren't very happy with the individual efforts guarding the ball, so we really stressed that at halftime," Seward said. "I thought were much better there in the second half, so it was good to see us finally make a bit of a stand on that side of the floor, something we haven't really done thus far."
 
Lexi Van Vorst and Graci Serravillo knocked down back-to-back shots from behind the arc, with Maddie Gillis and Olivia Badura recording the assists, respectively, to give the Hawks their largest lead of the game at 31 with about nine minutes left. MIT wasn't going away however, as it trimmed the deficit to 14 after going on a 19-2 run within a four-minute stretch midway through the quarter. Teape halted the Engineers momentum with a pair of layups on consecutive possessions before Seward subbed back in his starters with about 2:44 left to help finish the game and cement the 20-point win.
 
Teape had a standout performance, putting up a career-best 21 points to go along with her game-high 13 rebounds to register her second-straight (and second career) double-double game. Teape also registered a career-high in attempts and makes, going 9-for-13 from the floor, while also adding an assist and a steal in 28 minutes.

"She has always played with such unbridled aggression, but no she is also playing with poise," Seward said of Teape. "That's the big difference, but she was outstanding tonight. Even when they cut it from 30 to 15 in the third, it was Phil who steadied the ship."

Dietz totaled her second consecutive game-high after finishing with 22 points and shooting an efficient 7-for-14 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from the arc, while adding four rebounds and five assists with one steal. Paige Niemeyer followed with 12 points in 19 minutes, while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
 
SUNY New Paltz caps off the Tufts Tournament Tip-Off against the No. 2 nationally ranked hosting Jumbos Saturday at 4 p.m.

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