New Paltz, NY- The State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz women's basketball team collected a win against conference rival SUNY Geneseo in the Hawk Center Saturday evening, 59-46.  

The Hawks last saw the Knights only four days ago and fell as the visiting team, 56-63. SUNY New Paltz fell behind early in that game and was unable to gain an advantage despite coming within four points with two minutes left in the game. During their first appearance this season, Geneseo came out aggressive and the Hawks had trouble keeping up early. SUNY New Paltz was consistently denied opportunities and struggled to put points on the board.  

Going into their second competition with the Knights, this time at hone, the Hawks strove to be more aggressive and to use their scouting report to their advantage. 

Saturday's SUNYAC competition was energetic from the start. Junior forward Semaiah Williams set the pace on the defensive end with two solid blocks, one after the other, early on in the first quarter. Collectively, the home team did a great job running the shock clock down to deny the Knights scoring opportunities, but Geneseo continuously fought back and made several three pointers to keep their lead in the first 9 minutes of the game. That is, until junior Victoria Venus, off a breakaway blocked a Knight's drive to the basket with one minute left in the quarter. Soon after, the Hawks gained possession and sophomore Jenny Walton sunk a solid three, giving SUNY New Paltz their first lead in the game, 17-16. With only 30 seconds left in the quarter, a Maddie Gillis layup secured the Hawks' spot in front with 19-17, at the end of the first.  

"I think maybe we came out a little too aggressive which is on me, not them...so we tried to back it off a little bit and keep them in front of us...we were doing a good job of pressuring them and speeding them up but it was creating just as much for them as it was for us early in the game and I think we tried to just be a little more solid and be a little more disciplined to make them have to make some plays," said head coach Jamie Seward.

In the second quarter, New Paltz came out hot. The Hawks found the hoop early and gained an 11 point lead in the first four minutes of the quarter. Sophomore forward Abby Korzekwinksi shined bright in the second quarter contributing five layups, three rebounds, and one block. Korzekwinki found herself in the paint often, where she needed to be to finish missed shots and secure points. After the Hawks kept possession for most of the quarter, Geneseo closed the gap with 2:30 left in the second quarter bringing the score within five points. A quick steal by Brianna Fitzgerald who drove to the hoop for a layup with 30 seconds left, disrupted the play, but the Knights responded with two points 20 seconds later that brought the score at the end of the half to 36-33.  

With the game still close in score, SUNY New Paltz knew they needed to try and break away to create a cushion for the last quarter. Yet, the Hawks struggled scoring and by the end of the third, the game was still within five points, 47-42. 

"It seems like in the first quarter we got a little bit undisciplined once they picked up their dribble and they were able to back cut and get some easy baskets there that way. In the third quarter, we just missed a lot of free throws and that let them hang around. If we made some of those, I think we would have been able to open it up a little bit sooner," said Seward. 

With spirits high in the gym, the Knights sought to find the lead they were inching up to the first three quarters. SUNY New Paltz knew they would be going into battle to secure the win they wanted. The Hawks saw that Geneseo was struggling to score so their plan was to keep Geneseo away from the foul line, to deny them the opportunities they sought to gain the lead. 

"[Our goal was] to not foul, that was the biggest thing. Keep them off the foul line. They were having a hard time scoring. That was going to be the way they were potentially able to get back in the game. So, we got into that and let them get...some free baskets without having us being able to defend...we did a great job with that. I think the first foul we committed was under two minutes to go in the quarter so, I think we did a really good job with that and it was ultimately the key to finishing it up," said Seward.  

The fourth quarter was SUNY New Paltz's best yet. The Hawks found better luck scoring with Fitzgerald and Venus contributing two points each and Walton serving two three-pointers. SUNY New Paltz gained a 13 point lead that put the nail in the coffin for the Knights. The Hawks earned every point they got on their home court and walked away with an impressive 59-64 win over the Knights to finish out their weekend of conference play.  

"...I think for the most part we kept them... out of their strengths particularly in the second half and we rebounded the ball better as well and I think that was a big difference in terms of the score in the second half. The aggression was definitely better, attacking their pressure...when they tried to go zone we...got them out of that quickly, and maybe let the ball stick a little too much instead of moving the ball at times but overall, more aggressive and more disciplined with regard to the scouting report, " said Seward.   

Lead scorer for this conference competition was Jenny Walton with 17 points in 24 minutes played. Walton's presence on the court was strong and it was clear her contributions helped the Hawks in their victory. 

"Jenny is a really, really good offensive player. The thing that has been good to see lately, and today, is Jenny was actually defending really well, not just good enough to keep her offense out there, Jenny was staying out there... because she was doing a nice job defensively. You know, she's a really talented offensive player so, when she gets minutes she is going to do some good things offensively, " said Seward.   

Reflecting on the solid performance by SUNY New Paltz, Walton believed the team was prepared and is excited they got the win they knew they could against Geneseo. 

"Honestly, it feels really good. We were a little rough in the last game and we really wanted this game so, we were really prepared. We came out aggressive and executed the game plan which is what we really wanted to do," said Walton.   

Looking forward into the season, the Hawks have eight more conference games before post-season play. Though SUNY New Paltz is happy with their performances this weekend, the Hawks know there is still a lot more basketball left to play.  

"We're happy with a good weekend getting two wins. You know, we just have to keep moving forward now. Now that intercession is over, and we go back to classes...it is really hard this time of year to continue to get better and whether it's the...mental, emotional, or physical fatigue or just the things you need to improve on are so detailed and such little things that you really have to be focused... that's what the key is to this point in the season. Very few teams continue to get better and the ones who do are going to be the ones playing into the season in February and March," said Seward. 

Next up for SUNY New Paltz is another weekend packed with SUNYAC play. The Hawks will first face SUNY Cortland Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. followed by a Saturday matchup at SUNY Oswego at 2 p.m.  

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