NEW PALTZ, NY- The SUNY New Paltz woman’s basketball hosted the Bears from Potsdam and a huge second half gave the Hawks the 66-63 victory in the Hawk Center. The turnover battle was won by the Hawks for the 19th time in 23 games. The Hawks had 13 steals to the Bears seven. The Bears had three players score in double-figures, but the Hawks got a big night for Artie Williams and Maggie Farrell.
In the first half, the Hawks took a 6-2 lead in the first four minutes, but the Bears responded with a 16-6 run over six minutes to take an 18-12 advantage. With 8:21 remaining the Bears went on a 15-5 run to take a 33-19 lead with 3:23 remaining. The Hawks were able to cut into the lead with a 9-4 run to finish the half out and were down 37-29 at the half.
Sophomore forward Artie Williams (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) led the Hawks with 13 points and six rebounds and junior guard Maggie Farrell (Hillsdale, NY/Immaculate) chipped in with five points and five rebounds.
The Bears Cortney Poirier netted 16 points and had five rebounds and Molly Krauza and Maureen Curley each added six points apiece.
The Hawks opened the second half on a 15-2 run to take a 43-41 lead with 13:40 remaining in the game. The teams would trade baskets for the next six minutes and a lay-up by Poirier gave the Bears a two point advantage with 7:07 to go. A steal by freshman guard Caitlin Irwin (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) and lay-up tied the game at 54-54 with 6:27 remaining. The Hawks would pull away from the Bears with a 12-5 run to take a 66-59 advantage with 1:16 remaining in the game.
Williams finished with game-highs of 22 points and 18 rebounds (11 offense rebounds) and Farrell record a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Irwin chipped in with eight points, six rebounds and a career-high five steals for the Hawks. Junior guard Nicole Sarcone (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) dished out a game-high nine assists and added five points and four steals.
Poirier finished with a team-high 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Rachel Graf added 13 points and five rebounds. Curley finished the game with 12 points and eight rebounds for the Bears. Potsdam finishes the regular season at 15-10 overall and 8-8 in the SUNYAC.
The Hawks improve to 16-7 overall and 12-3 in the SUNYAC. The Hawks return to the court tomorrow as they conclude the season against Plattsburgh at 4 p.m.
