Box Score New Paltz, NY – Heading into the fourth quarter Friday against No. 5 seed The College at Brockport, State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball coach Jamie Seward looked down at his bench and saw senior Rachel Simon locked in. The veteran coach was worried his top-seeded Hawks' State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) hopes were about to end with the Golden Eagles sitting closely behind, but as soon as he saw Simon's demeanor he felt better about his team's chances. Simon proved to be key down the stretch, as she hit timely shots and free throws to help push the SUNY New Paltz (22-4 overall, 18-1 conference) to its third conference championship in four years following the, 70-67 win in the Hawk Center.

"I thought going into the fourth quarter and it was a two point game at that point I think, and it was actually [Rachel] who was just locked in and it was like, 'All right. I kind of feel a little bit better,' because I kept turning to [assistant coach] Darren [Jackson] and was just like, 'we're going to lose this game if we keep playing this way,'" recalled Hawks coach Jamie Seward. "We're doing everything wrong. We're not making the adjustments we had just talked about. They were playing harder than us. They just seemed like they wanted to win the game more than we did. Going into that fourth quarter you saw a little bit of that difference. You can see it in Rachel's eyes. She was really locked in and Lindsay [Bettke] came out in one of those breaks and said, 'don't panic,' and I was actually just going over there to say to her, just be composed. I need to see you being composed and I didn't have to say it because she was already telling her team." 

The College at Brockport (11-16, 8-10) was aggressive defensively and played gritty in the paint as well, which helped them keep in striking distance throughout the first half. SUNY New Paltz never trailed at any point in the first 20 minutes, but a 3-pointer by Zaria McCullough followed by a bucket in the paint by Emily Nestler helped trim the deficit to just three at the break for the Golden Eagles, setting the stage for a momentum-shifting third quarter where the they took their first advantage of the game.

Nestler tied the score at 41 with another basket in the lane, while teammate Chelsea Henry followed with a made free throw a minute later to push Brockport ahead by one.

Madison Van Pelt helped re-gain the lead for SUNY New Paltz, as the junior forward connected on back-to-back layups underneath to give her team a 45-41 lead with about two minutes to go in the third quarter.

The Hawks then opened up the fourth quarter with a 13-0 run, which was started by a tough play by Simon, as she ripped down an offensive board and then knocked down her shot while falling to the ground on the foul. She connected on the ensuing free throw to complete the 3-point play. Dietz then earned two hard fought points after fighting on the boards for two offensive rebounds before she was put on the foul line. After she connected on both, Bettke capped off the run with back-to-back 3's.

"We came out pretty aggressive and I thought we were just going to put them away in the first quarter honestly, because the look on Brockport's faces, it looked like they didn't want to play," Bettke said. "Unfortunately, we let up a little bit and let them back into the game, which led them to having confidence, really, so they thought they could win the game. In the fourth quarter I know we pulled away a bit and that is when I really thought we were going to put an end to this, put this game away and then they started coming back. I think just overall, we just had a lack of focus on the defensive end. We weren't sticking to our game plan and unfortunately, they took advantage of it and played like a really good team tonight and it showed. Kudos to them on that."

The Golden Eagles weren't deterred from the double-digit hole and slowly chipped away at the deficit. Nestler (11 points, nine rebounds) was the catalyst in the run, answering nearly every time down the floor. She scored six points a one-minute stretch midway through the fourth, which she capped off the with an assist to teammate Morgan Elmer in the corner for 3, who tied the score once more at 67-all.

"I remember it and of course it is never by myself," Nestler said of the fourth quarter run. "My teammates got me the ball and they had my back this whole game, this whole season, so it definitely wasn't by myself. I knew my team was there. I kicked it to Morgan to get that 3 that was huge for us, so mentally I knew my team needed me to score so I tried to just dominate in the paint and I knew they'd find me."

Simon stepped up for the Hawks to put an end to Brockport's surge, determined to play another day. The senior guard answered Elmer's trey the next time down the floor, attacking the basket and earning two shots at the foul line. She connected on one attempt, but on the next offensive possession for the Hawks again got to the hole and earned two more trips to the foul line to extend the lead, 70-67.

"Getting towards the end there it's really coming down to toughness and grit and desperation at that point," Simon said. "We went the whole game struggling, and they fought their way back into it and after the first quarter, they fought their way back in. It just comes down to who is putting the ball in the basket more and who is defending better. The better team comes out and we're very fortunate to get this, because we did the majority of the game, but I am thankful to make those shots at the end, couple free throws to get us up a couple points and come out with the win."

SUNY New Paltz made one last defensive stand and held on to the slight three-point cushion to cement a spot in the SUNYAC Championship game Saturday in the Hawk Center.

Bettke and Simon led the way for the Hawks, finishing with 26 and 19 points, respectively. Bettke knocked down 8-for-23 from the floor, including 7-for-10 from 3-point range, while adding four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Simon shot an efficient 6-for-11, while adding five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

"All the credit to Brockport. They played really, really well. They played really hard. We know they were coming into this game and getting better. This is the best they've played all year these last couple weeks and they really played really well. They deserved to win this game. We're very fortunate and happy to win and be able to play in the championship tomorrow," Seward said. "No doubt about that. This time of year it is just about winning and being able to play again tomorrow. A lot of things we didn't do very well and you got to give Brockport a lot of credit for the reason of why those things happened, but we're getting to play in the championship tomorrow and that really is all that matters."

Friday's contest was the closest game SUNY New Paltz has played in nearly four months, and although they weren't happy with the performance they're ready to compete Saturday. Seward said in the end the tight game against the Golden Eagles can only help his team as they pursue the program's fourth conference title and a deep NCAA run.

"Now that it is done, we haven't played in a game like that in a really long time, so I think that this is good for us," he said. "It is not what we wanted, but at the same time it is good thing for us to have to figure out how to win a game late, because we haven't had to do that really all season. In the long run this might be a good thing. I wasn't thinking that while it was going on, but now that it is after the fact I think this might be good for us."

SUNY New Paltz has an anticipated re-match with defending SUNYAC Champion SUNY Geneseo, which handily defeated Fredonia State, 62-30, in the other semifinal matchup Friday to earn its way to the programs fifth-straight conference finals. The Knights ended the Hawks' 2017-18 campaign last year in the SUNYAC semifinal round. 

The SUNYAC Championship is set for a 4 p.m. tip-off in the Hawk Center Saturday. The winner will clinch an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

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