Fredonia, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz extended its conference winning streak to four games Friday night, using a dominating second quarter to stymy the hosting Blue Devils of Fredonia and claim a 64-53 win.

"I thought we played pretty well tonight on both ends of the court," said SUNY New Paltz coach Jamie Seward. "We just have to stop giving away plays that lead to easy scores. Whether its's not following the scout, a lack of alertness or effort going to secure a loose ball, a giveaway foul, we just have to do a better job of recognizing what's important at a given time."
 
The Hawks trailed after the first quarter with Fredonia (3-7 overall, 0-5 SUNYAC) getting out to a 15-12 lead at the end of 10 minutes.
 
Six straight points in the opening two minutes of the second gave SUNY New Paltz the advantage with Graci Serravillo, Madison Mullman and Jenny Walton getting into the paint on consecutive possessions to help their team get back in front. Laurell Brown answered for the Blue Devils, hitting her jumper in the paint to re-take the advantage for the hosts, but the cushion was the last of the game for Fredonia and didn't last much longer, as Mullman responded with a catch and swish from the top of the arc. SUNY New Paltz rattled off 11 unanswered points to gain a 10-point advantage with just more than two minutes left in the period, which allowed them to get out in front 33-23 to end the half.
   
Sarah Seaman helped her team back within single digits after scoring four-straight points midway through the third quarter, but Lexi Van Vorst stalled the run as she finished on a drive to the basket with contact to get the and-one and push the lead to 39-29 with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The play lifted SUNY New Paltz. Following a defensive stop, Maddie Gillis attacked the basket for two to extend the lead with the Hawks then forcing a turnover on their full court press with Van Vorst coming up with the steal, which led to a trip to the foul line for Mullman following an attempted put-back.
 
Mary Culeton brought the difference back down to single digits once again for Fredonia, swishing from the perimeter, but after the two teams traded baskets Gillis earned a block on one end and then capitalized on the other with a trip to the charity stripe where she connected on 1-for-2. Abby Korzekwinski added two points before the buzzer following a steal and dish by Jenny Walton on the Hawks full court press, aiding to end the third with a 52-39 lead for the Hawks.
 
SUNY New Paltz worked the ball around the Blue Devils' zone before Julia Sabatino knocked down a trey in the corner to get the fourth started and push her team up, 55-41. The Hawks then maintained the advantage throughout the fourth, gaining a lead as large as 16 midway through before ultimately solidifying the 64-53 win and improving to 7-3 on the year and a perfect, 4-0 in the SUNYAC.
 
Korzekwinski led the team with 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting in 18 minutes of action, adding four rebounds and an assist. Gillis and Mullman each finished with nine points, with the former adding four rebounds, two assists, a steal and block in 26 minutes, while the latter recorded three boards and two assists in 20 minutes, both coming off the bench, while Walton finished with eight points, five rebounds and two assists
 
SUNY New Paltz had its cleanest game of the season, only totaling nine turnovers while forcing 21 Blue Devils turnovers. Offensively, the Hawks shot about 42 percent from the field and less than 12 percent (2-for-17) from the perimeter with their most productive quarter coming in the second where they hit 10-for-16. They established their presence in the paint throughout the game as 44 of their points were scored in the lane.
 
"For the most part we got the shots we wanted," Seward said. "We got away from it here and there but overall, we executed our offense as well as we have so far this season."
 
SUNY New Paltz is back on the floor Saturday when it takes on Buffalo State at 2 p.m.
 
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