PSU women face Hawks in quarterfinals

Sports

Related Photos

Brittany Marshall (right) and the Plattsbugh State women's basketball team is at New Paltz tonight in the SUNYAC playoff quarterfinals. P-R Photo / Gabe Dickens

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

February 21, 2012

TIM PULSIFER Press-Republican The Press Republican Tue Feb 21, 2012, 02:23 AM EST

PLATTSBURGH — They've had their ups and they've had their downs this year but all of that is of little consequence as Plattsburgh State's women's basketball team travels to New Paltz this evening to compete in the quarterfinal round of the SUNYAC playoffs.

The Cardinals (10-14, 7-11), seeded seventh, are very familiar with their first round opponent, having lost twice to the second-seeded Hawks during the regular season.

Both contests were competitive, however, and Plattsburgh coach Cheryl Cole expressed optimism and confidence in her team's chances despite those earlier results.

"Bottom line, at this point, nothing that's happened so far really matters," Cole said. "Our goal all year was to get here and here we are. That's what's great about the playoffs. All you have to do is get here and you have a shot. We are more than familiar with them (New Paltz) and they with us and so, as far as I'm concerned, the pressure is really all on them.

"The key for us against New Paltz is to play our game loose but hard for 40 minutes ... We know what they do well, and if we can make a few adjustments and execute on both sides of the ball, we have a real chance."

Plattsburgh will be looking to put its most recent game as far behind them as possible.

The Cardinals suffered an embarrassing 72-29 blowout loss to Geneseo in their regular season finale Saturday. They struggled throughout that matchup against an opponent they had beaten by four points at home in overtime earlier in the season.

"That was the first time we really got beat like that all year," Cole said. "It was just one of those days where they did everything right and we did everything wrong. I think we've put that behind us though, and I really don't think it will have any bearing on how we play going forward. We've already erased that performance. That just wasn't us."

Kathleen Payne and Brittany Marshall will need to continue their hot play if the Cardinals are to make any sort of a tournament run this year.

Payne is coming off an outstanding sophomore season where she led the conference in points and also set a new Plattsburgh single season scoring mark.

Marshall, for her part, has established herself as one of the conference's premier up-and-coming point guards. The freshman standout from Malone averaged 11 points a game, including a season-best 27 points in a victory over Brockport this past Friday.

Timely contributions from the balance of the roster will also be critical if the Cardinals are to advance beyond the opening round.

New Paltz (16-8, 14-3) has been impressive all season long and particularly over the second half. The Hawks won 14 of their final 15 games, including a thrilling overtime win over Oneonta Saturday to sew up the No. 2 overall seed.

Tonight's SUNYAC quarterfinal matchup between Plattsburgh State and New Paltz will tip off at 7 p.m.