PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Junior guard Hanna Whitney (Keene, N.Y./Keene Central) scored a career-high 19 points in 30 minutes coming off the bench, but the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team fell to SUNY Potsdam, 69-66, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action Tuesday evening at Memorial Hall.
 
Whitney also established a career high in field goals made (6) and matched career highs in 3-point field goals made (4) and free throws made (3). Senior guard/forward Taylor Durnin (Lyon Mountain, N.Y./Northern Adirondack) stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists, while senior forward Taylor Clare (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked three shots in addition to scoring six points.
 
The Cardinals shot 37.1 percent (26-of-70) from the floor, 32 percent (8-of-25) from 3-point range and 75 percent (6-of-8) from the line while forcing the Bears into 19 turnovers and scoring 25 points off those giveaways. Potsdam held a 52-35 advantage in rebounds and shot 38.1 percent (24-of-63) from the field.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 6-13 overall (3-9 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts Fredonia on Friday, Feb. 7, at 5:30 p.m. Potsdam rises to 7-11 overall (4-8 SUNYAC) with the win and hosts Buffalo State next on Friday, Feb. 7, at 5:30 p.m.
 
The Cardinals dominated in the early stages of the game, with junior guard Theresa Quinn (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) making a layup with 4:06 left in the first quarter to cap off a 7-0 run that staked Plattsburgh State to an 18-6 advantage. Potsdam countered with 11 unanswered points to draw within one, and after the two teams traded baskets, sophomore guard Katelyn Flanagan drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put Potsdam up, 23-21, through 10 minutes of play.
 
After Potsdam built a 29-23 lead with 8:15 to go in the second quarter, Plattsburgh State netted five straight points, and a put-back layup that Clare buried on her own miss drew the Cardinals within one. Potsdam's freshman guard Tsai Lewis scored to put the Bears back up by three, but back-to-back layups by freshman guard Mya Smith (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) and sophomore guard/forward Kelly Degnan (Irvington, N.Y./Irvington) gave the Cardinals a 32-31 advantage. Whitney provided the high-water mark of the second quarter by pinning Plattsburgh State to a 42-37 edge with 2:51 left, and the Cardinals entered the locker rooms with a 43-41 lead.
 
The two teams battled back and forth early in the third quarter, and a made layup by Durnin with 6:35 to go in the period handed the Cardinals a 49-46 lead. Potsdam proceeded to close the quarter on a 13-2 run, taking a 59-51 cushion into the final regulation stanza.
 
An old-fashioned 3-point play by Whitney and a trey by Smith drew the Cardinals within two with 7:41 to go, and Plattsburgh State eventually took the lead on a Durnin layup that completed a 5-0 run with 3:17 left. A 3-pointer by freshman guard Bella Barner with 2:28 remaining gave Potsdam the lead for good, and despite the fact that the Cardinals had several strong looks down the stretch, the Bears sealed the win once sophomore guard Dyamon Hunter went 1-of-2 at the line with two seconds left.
 
Potsdam had four scorers in double figures: sophomore forward Devyn Elliott (16 points), Barner (12 points), freshman guard Caroline LaFountain (12 points) and Lewis (10 points). Elliott completed the double-double with 13 rebounds and added two assists, two blocked shots and a steal. Hunter nearly posted a double-double with 10 assists to go along with eight points. Sophomore forward Alexis Davis grabbed 10 rebounds in 21 minutes coming off the bench.