Back-to-back conference titles and a deep run into the NCAA Tournament was the goal set all season for the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team. The Hawks are playing some of their best basketball as of late, winning 11-straight to help lock up the No. 1 seed in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) tournament for the second consecutive year. Everything they've worked toward is right in front of them as they begin the postseason against No. 4 seed Buffalo State Friday in the SUNYAC semifinal.

"This is the best time of year," said SUNY New Paltz senior forward Maddie Van Pelt. "This is what we've worked for all year, the postseason. We're playing Buff State and we're just really excited, and we're just going over all the little stuff now. We know how to play basketball. It's just all the little things that need to carry over into each game."

SUNY New Paltz (22-3 overall, 17-1 SUNYAC) has yet to lose in the Hawk Center, with its three early season losses against Tufts and Simpson coming on a neural court, and a defeat to SUNY Cortland on the road. Since its loss against the latter, the Hawks rattled off 11 consecutive victories, including in their latest home contest against said Red Dragons where they pulled away with a thrilling, 74-68 overtime win. They might have a re-match against Cortland Saturday depending on who makes it through to the championship round with the No. 2 Red Dragons facing No. 3 SUNY Geneseo in the other semifinal game, also in the Hawk Center. The Hawks aren't looking ahead, however, as they face a Buffalo State team that cruised through the quarterfinal round, defeating SUNY Oneonta, 61-50 to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2018.

"Buff State is a really good team and especially in the postseason, everyone brings it," Van Pelt said. "We know our game plan, so we just have to implement it and do it correctly."
SUNY New Paltz defeated the Bengals in both matchups this season with the most recent coming on the road at Buffalo State. After re-taking the lead heading into halftime, the Hawks opened up the game with a prolific third quarter where they shot 77 percent from the field and knocked down 7-of-8 attempts from 3-point range to score 35 points in the period. They hung on the rest of the way and solidified a 22-point victory. Marion Dietz led all scorers on the night, finishing with 18 points and five rebounds. Olivia Badura followed with 17 points and team-high five assists, while Philesha Teape pulled down 12 boards to go along with 10 points to record her seventh double-double of the season.

It was a tighter contest however, when the Bengals visited the Hawks in late January. Jenna Lee was the catalyst for Buffalo State, as she had her way inside and finished with 16 points. The Hawks struggled to shoot the ball and the Bengals took advantage to climb within four with 40 seconds remaining. They had an opportunity to sink the go-ahead basket in the final few possessions, but couldn't capitalize and SUNY New Paltz made enough at the foul line to clinch a 66-60 win. Paige Niemeyer matched a career-high to lead the Hawks with 23 points and Van Pelt followed with 15 points and 12 rebounds to register her third double-double of the season.

Buffalo State heads into Friday's matchup against the Hawks at 16-10 overall and 11-7 in the SUNYAC. It won back-to-back games after falling to SUNY New Paltz at home Feb. 15, defeating Fredonia State to end the regular season and then Oneonta Tuesday to extend its playoff run.

Senior Liv LeBaron fuels the Bengals offense, as she averages a conference-leading 22.2 points per game, while shooting around 42 percent from the floor and 35 percent from the perimeter. She also leads the team on the glass, averaging nine rebounds per game to go along with a team-best 2.8 steals a contest. Junior guard Katie Villarini follows offensively, recording 15.5 points per game on 38 percent shooting from the floor and 38 percent from the 3-point line.

SUNY New Paltz held LeBaron to season lows in both outings this year, allowing the 5-foot, 10-inch guard to combine for just 19 points in the two outings, while making 7-for-26 from the floor. Villarini scored 17 points against the Hawks in their first matchup in the Hawk Center, but was held to a season-low three points to conclude the regular season series, as she dealt with foul trouble in the game and ultimately fouled out in 13 minutes of action.

"LeBaron and Villarini are really good guards," Van Pelt said. "Their two of the best guards in the conference and we just have to shut them down and do what our game is and not play their game."
Dietz averages a team-best 13.9 points per game for SUNY New Paltz and has re-gained her shooting touch as of late. She produced one of her best all-around performances of her career against Cortland Feb. 18, scoring a game-high 27 points, while playing a full 45 minutes and guarding the Red Dragons best player. Prior to that game, she scored 16 and 18 points against the Blue Devils and Bengals, respectively, and ended the regular season with 20 points in 20 minutes against SUNY Potsdam, while shooting 44 percent in her last five games.

Van Pelt is having her best season thus far, following Dietz offensively with 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game, while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 31 percent from behind the arc.

"Being a senior and having our season prolonged in this postseason is the best feeling ever," Van Pelt said. "Hopefully we get another month and we're just going to try and improve and win every day."

Before the Hawks tip-off against the Bengals, the Red Dragons and Knights take the floor and battle for a spot in the conference finals. Geneseo has advanced into the SUNYAC Championship for seven straight seasons, including last year's re-match with the Hawks. SUNY New Paltz bested the then No. 2 seeded Knights in overtime.

Geneseo ended the season on a six-game winning streak, which included a 71-51 win over Cortland on the Red Dragons' home floor Feb. 22 to split the two-game series. The Hawks earned wins in both matchups against the Knights this season, 71-67 in overtime and 48-40 on the road and at home, respectively. Cortland, meanwhile, went on a 14-game winning streak earlier in the year, but have dropped four of its last eight. Losses came at the hands of SUNY New Paltz, Geneseo, Buffalo State and SUNY Oneonta.

The Red Dragons gave the Hawks their only conference defeat of the season earlier in the season in Cortland, 61-55, but SUNY New Paltz made sure to even up the series at home and solidify the top spot in the league standings.

Cortland and Geneseo are set to tip-off Friday in the Hawk Center at 5:30 p.m. and the Hawks and Bengals will follow at 7:30 p.m. The two advancing teams will meet up again in the Hawk Center Saturday at 4 p.m.

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