Oswego, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz overcame a tough loss Friday night by holding off hosting Oswego State Saturday and collecting its ninth conference win of the season after defeating the Lakers, 62-57.
 
"Excellent team effort even if we didn't play great, which a lot of credit goes to a talented, tough and very well-coached Oswego team," said Hawks coach Jamie Seward.
 
After a low-scoring first quarter and the game tied at 10, the Hawks used a prolific shooting second period to get out to an 9-0 start and regain the advantage. Although Oswego tied the game down the stretch midway through the third, SUNY New Paltz never relinquished control and held off the hosts with some key baskets from Lexi Van Vorst, Brianna Fitzgerald and Vickie Venus off the bench.
 
The Hawks again had a slow start to the opening quarter. Maddie Gillis laid in the opening points of the game, but the Lakers countered with a 5-0 run to earn their first lead. Following a timeout by Seward midway through the first, Julia Sabatino came out and picked the pocket of Oswego's Danielle Caivana and went coast-to-coast to give SUNY New Paltz back the advantage. The two teams traded spots in front before Sabatino tied the game at 10 following a steal by Walton to head into the second at a stalemate.
 
After shooting 0-6 from 3-point range in the first, SUNY New Paltz knocked down 3-straight from behind the arc with Fitzgerald, Cassidy Deaver and Van Vorst all getting in on the action to push the Hawks ahead, 19-10. Oswego worked to get back within six, but Van Vorst coolly hit from distance once again with a hand in her face to bring the advantage back to nine with just less than four minutes left in the quarter. 
The Lakers refused to go away, however, as a 3-pointer by Raiven Encarnacion cut the difference to 26-18. The Hawks were hit with a technical, which Oswego capitalized with a made free throw and then a made 3 on the ensuing possession. Semaiah Williams brought some energy off the bench for SUNY New Paltz, laying in two to push her team ahead by six with a minute left. The Lakers forced a turnover off Van Vorst, which they capitalized with a bucket, but Fitzgerald immediately answered down the floor, driving and finishing in the paint to help the visitors to a 30-24 lead at the break.
 
Oswego tied the game at 37 with less than five minutes left in the third, but Van Vorst distanced the Hawks by three with a triple next time down the floor. Van Vorst then did her part defensively as well, forcing a charge call which then led to a bucket by Venus in the paint to bring the lead back to five. The charge also handed Oswego's big Diamond Pickett her fourth foul and was forced to sit and not re-enter until midway through the fourth. Despite Pickett's absence, Oswego still got within three, but Gillis was sent to the line in the final seconds of the quarter and made 1-of-2 to give her team at 45-41 advantage heading into the fourth.
 
"I thought Semaiah's minutes at the end of the first half were huge," Seward said. "She established our interior game, and that's really where we went with nearly the entire second half. And then in the second half Vickie built on what Semaiah did and got us some good opportunities in the paint."
 
SUNY New Paltz scored five-straight to open up the fourth, ignited by a 3-pointer from Walton. The Lakers respond with five unanswered points of their own, but Venus again came up big with another finish on the block. A put-back by Deaver gave the Hawks their largest lead of the quarter at 56-48 with just more than four minutes to go, but Oswego answered with a corner 3 by Shanna Iglesis to end the run. The two teams traded baskets to keep the difference at five but a controversial offensive foul called on the Hawks' Graci Seravillo on drive gave the Lakers an extra possession. Although they missed their initial attempt, an offensive rebound followed by a timeout gave them back the ball and a full shot clock with 1:02 left. They capitalized out of the timeout with a kick-out 3-pointer to cut the score to 58-57 with less than a minute left.
 
SUNY New Paltz was patient on its ensuing possession eating time off the clock and a foul by Oswego re-upped time on the shot clock and allowed the Hawks to burn more seconds before Fitzgerald hit a clutch shot underneath with 28 seconds left to give her team a three-point lead.
 
The Lakers called a timeout after advancing the ball up the floor with 13 seconds left, and the Hawks defended the play well out of the break forcing a contested 3-pointer way off the arc that sailed out of bounds. Van Vorst then hit two clutch free throws in the final seconds to ice the win.
 
Van Vorst finished with a team-high 14 points after knocking down 4-for-7 from 3-point range. The junior guard also added three rebounds two assists, a block and a steal to her stat line. Fitzgerald followed with 11 points, shooting 5-for-11 while four rebounds and a steal in 26 minutes.
 
"Bri did some things that looked back to her normal self so that was good to see and hopefully gets her back on track," Seward said. "I've always said that Lexi is not scared, so I always feel like she's going to bounce back on the next day or the next shot."
 
SUNY New Paltz is back in action next weekend for its final regular season road SUNYAC weekend, facing Buffalo State Feb. 4 and Fredonia State Feb. 5.

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