The State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team is getting back into conference action Saturday, taking on Catskill Cup rival SUNY Oneonta.

The Hawks (7-2 overall, 2-0 SUNYAC) had an impressive opening State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) weekend against Plattsburgh State and SUNY Potsdam in early December, coming away with two 30-plus point victories. And although they are 2-1 in their last three contests, earning victories over Rose-Hulman Dec. 30 and most recently, Alfred University Jan. 7, they were disappointed in the way they performed over the course of 40 minutes in their latest three game stretch. A defending SUNYAC Champion and Sweet 16 team a year ago, SUNY New Paltz understands it must fix the little things to build upon where its season left off in 2019. The Hawks hope to have a complete performance Saturday against a Red Dragons team that in-turn are looking to do the same.
"Oneonta is a good team and they are one of our biggest rivals, but I expect us to take that rivalry and come out strong," said SUNY New Paltz freshman guard Cassidy Deaver. "I think for us our confidence is a little bit low right now, so for us to play really well and come out strong and play the full 40 minutes will be really great for us."

After a slow start in their last game against the Saxons, the Hawks came out more aggressive in the second half and put more of an emphasis on rebounding. Senior forward Philesha Teape was the catalyst in that regard, pulling down back-to-back offensive boards that instigated a 9-0, game-shifting run to start the third quarter. Up just five at halftime, SUNY New Paltz quickly opened up the game late in the third and into the fourth quarters to come out with another 30-point victory.

At practice the following days leading up to their matchup against the Red Dragons, the Hawks continued stressing the importance of offensive rebounding, while also working through their usual scout offense and defense.

"This week we really emphasized rebounding, especially offensively," Deaver said. "We really want to crash the boards hard and we emphasized confidence and believing in ourselves and in our teammates a lot."

The Red Dragons ended a four-game losing skid with a win over Colby-Sayer College Dec. 21. Their two other wins have come in their season opener against Skidmore (59-49) Nov. 9 and Utica College (78-70) Nov. 19 with them scoring a season-high in the outing. After finishing last season 20-6 overall and 14-4 in the SUNYAC, even earning a win over SUNY New Paltz – the Hawks only conference loss last season – they have struggled in their 2019-2020 campaign. They returned two of their three leading scorers from last season, including First-Team All-SUNYAC guard Leanne Corso, but hasn't had third-team all-conference selection Alexa Amalbert since its second game of the season.

Corso continues to lead the team with 11.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, followed by senior center/forward Casey Hayes (10.3 point and 6.6 rebounds per game). As a team, Oneonta averages less than 57 points a contest, which is the worst in the SUNYAC, while averaging about 37 percent from the field and less than 26 percent from 3-point range -- the second worst in the conference.

The Red Dragons have played solid on the defensive side of the floor, giving up less than 60 points per game, while keeping the opposition to a minimal 35 percent from the field, and 27 percent from behind the arc.

Seniors Marion Dietz, Maddie Van Pelt, Paige Niemeyer and Teape lead SUNY New Paltz. Dietz is averaging a team-best 16.9 points per game, followed by Van Pelt who has registered 12.3 points and seven rebounds a contest. Niemeyer is adding about 11 points and five rebounds per game, while leading the team in blocks (20), steals (23) and assists (26). She is just five blocks away from landing top-five in Hawks history and eight shy of fourth all-time, while currently sitting 96 behind program-leader Alex McCullough '13 (158). Teape, meanwhile, started the year with three-straight double-double performances and paces the Hawks with 69 rebounds on the year, averaging nearly eight per game, while also chipping in with nine points a contest.

SUNY New Paltz leads the SUNYAC with 70.2 points per game, but its offense has struggled in its last three-games before coming alive in the second half against Alfred. The Hawks hope to regain their shooting touch in the coming weeks as they dive back into conference play.

The Hawks are set to take on the Red Dragons Saturday at 2 p.m. in Dewar Arena. For everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.