Oneonta, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz stacked another win Friday night, defeating hosting Oneonta 72-55 to collect its 13th straight victory and the series sweep of the Red Dragons.
 
The Hawks improved to 21-2 overall and 15-1 in the SUNYAC, while the Red Dragons dropped to 13-10 and 8-8, respectively.
 
SUNY New Paltz had an efficient first half offensively. It shot nearly 64 percent in the first quarter on 7-for-11 from the field to get out to a 25-18 lead. The scoring came down slightly in the second, but still the Hawks made nearly 50 percent on 7-for-15 shooting to snatch a 41-35 lead at the break.
 
Their defense took over in the third, which allowed them to gain a comfortable 16-point cushion as it out-scored Oneonta, 22-12 in the period. Kayden Cornell pushed the visitors ahead by 10 following a make from 3-point range off a feed from Brianna Fitzgerald four minutes into the third quarter.
 
Fitzgerald re-upped the 10-point cushion on the following offensive position, getting into the paint for two. The two teams then went scoreless until Fitzgerald earned a pair from the foul line to create a 55-45 difference with three minutes to go in the period. The Red Dragons answered with a trip to the line, but Cornell connected again from 3-point range before Karly Wittenbauer hit from the paint to get the lead to 13 with less than two minutes left.  
After a timeout by the Red Dragons, Summer Perry helped her team to a defensive stop, getting her hand on a block, which resulted in a triple by Fitzgerald the other way to give SUNY New Paltz a lead of 16 entering the fourth quarter.
 
Both teams were limited offensively in the fourth, combining for 17 points. The Hawks held on to the comfortable cushion with Oneonta not getting any closer than 17 in the final seconds.
 
Fitzgerald was the catalyst, as she finished with a game-high of 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting with six rebounds, a game-high eight assists and three steals in 31 minutes. Wittenbauer and Hannah Vanderzee each had 14 points with the former tallying six boards, five assists and two steals while the latter added three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Cornell was the only other Hawk in double-figure points, totaling 10 on 4-for-7 shooting off the bench. Perry finished with a team-high eight boards with five points, an assist and a block in 24 minutes off the bench.
 
SUNY New Paltz concludes the regular season next weekend, going on the road to play Plattsburgh and Potsdam.


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