BROCKPORT, N.Y. – In a battle for the sixth and final seed into the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), Brockport came out of the gates strong but fell to Plattsburgh State swapping positions in the SUNYAC standings in the process. The Golden Eagles dropped a 69-55 decision to the Cardinals but holds a chance at redemption tomorrow during senior day.
Brockport (12-12 Overall, 8-9 SUNYAC) will host SUNY Potsdam tomorrow in its regular season finale at 2 p.m. Plattsburgh (14-10 Overall, 8-9 SUNYAC) remains on the road for a difficult contest against the second seeded Knights of Geneseo.
The Golden Eagles once again had a large discrepancy in free throw attempts. They took only four attempts all game while sending the Cardinals to the charity stripe 24 times. A sloppy 23 turnovers plagued a solid start to the game by Brockport.
Freshman Hannah Spencer led the way for Brockport in the opening half of play with 12 points as she knocked down both attempts from beyond the arc. The Green and Gold led 32-29 at the half.
The Cardinal defense was adamant about not letting senior forward Olivia Suhr dominate the paint. Plattsburgh double teamed her when necessary and fought for every inch in the paint. Despite the constant attention, Suhr managed seven points while adding two blocks in the first half.
Freshman Megan Anagnostopulos and Schyler Laux played solid minutes for Brockport too, as the pair shot a perfect three-of-three from downtown. The Golden Eagles hit five-of-nine as a team from three point range in the opening half.
Brockport's largest lead came minutes into the second quarter. Following an Erin Cunningham layup, Suhr rejected a Cardinal shot at the other end. Spencer grabbed the rebound prior to racing down the court from end to end for the fast break layup putting the Golden Eagles ahead 25-18.
In the third quarter, Brockport and Plattsburgh traded leads multiple times. Brockport began to reestablish itself as the leader after Suhr's three point play the hard way. Faith Welch hit the Rochester, N.Y. native on the move in the paint as she banked in the shot while getting fouled in the process. The Cardinals next possession came to an end as Suhr swiped the ball before Spencer's layup put Brockport ahead 46-40 with 2:45 remaining in the third.
A six point advantage quickly evaporated as Plattsburgh went on an 11-0 run closing out the quarter. Plattsburgh grew its lead in the fourth, outpacing Brockport 18-9.
Suhr led Brockport in multiple categories scoring 18 points, blocking four shots and totaling two steals. Spencer finished the night with 17 points while freshman Alyssa Wagner led the team with seven rebounds in seven minutes of play. The Green and Gold also donned pink today to honor and raise funds for cancer research for the late - Kay Yow - in the annual "Play 4 Kay" night.
Brockport closes out the regular season tomorrow against Potsdam at 2 p.m. with a pregame celebration to commemorate the four seniors Erin Cunningham, Marissa Pike, Lisa Yacovoni and Olivia Suhr. Be sure to follow all your Golden Eagle scores and awards by following @BportAthletics on Twitter and by liking the "Brockport Golden Eagles" Facebook page.
