By COURTNEY LEWIS
PLATTSBURGH — Plattsburgh State likes to run and gun. But Saturday the Cardinals ran into a team that did it better — and had more depth.
Baruch used its athleticism to blow past Plattsburgh State 110-81 in the Cardinal Classic championship game.
The Bearcats (2-0) had six players in double figures, led by Megan Bouwens with 22 points. Monique Salmon scored 18 and was named tournament MVP, and Anika Sierk had 19.
Baruch shot 56.5 percent from the floor and scored frequently in transition.
"I thought first half we were awful on our transition D, and then second half we were either overhelping and then giving a kid a wide open (shot) ... or we weren't helping at all," Plattsburgh State coach Cheryl Cole said. "We were not solid on our defense — just too many looks. And to be honest, even when they were defended, they were hitting."
Taylor Amarando had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinals (1-2), and Stephanie McCoy scored 14.
Castleton State beat Albany Pharmacy 84-43 in the third-place contest.
Plattsburgh State led early in the title game and then kept it close most of the first half despite 18 turnovers. But with Amarando on the bench with two fouls, Baruch closed the half with a 17-9 run to go up by 11.
Bouwens had three buckets early in the second half as the Bearcats quickly stretched their lead. Bouwens, a 6-foot post player who made the All-Tournament team, exhibited Baruch's team speed.
Bouwens "is like a thoroughbred," Cole said. "She ran basket-to-basket, didn't waste an ounce of energy. She beat everybody down the floor every time, and that was driving me nuts. But I think overall, they're the fastest team we're going to see."
The Cardinals outrebounded Baruch in the first half, but by the end of the game the Bearcats had a 39-32 advantage.
"That was crucial," Cole said. "We needed to be more fundamentally sound and put a body on somebody. We gave them a lot of second-chance opportunities that we didn't really give them in the first half."
Cole added that the Cardinals, who are missing forward Nora Campbell, didn't have enough depth in the post to keep pace with the Bearcats.
Lyndsey Moore finished with 12 points for the Cardinals, while Molly Harte, who fouled out, and Catherine Cassidy both scored nine. Amarando and Moore represented Plattsburgh State on the All-Tournament team.
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Cardinal Classic
Championship game
Baruch 110, Plattsburgh State 81
Baruch (110)
Davis 5-1-11, Bouwens 10-2-22, Salmon 5-7-18, Kelly 6-0-12, Clarke 1-0-3, Thomas 6-0-12, Sierk 9-0-19, Elenis 2-0-4, Boyce 0-0-0, Sells 1-0-3, Turner 1-0-2, Coward 2-0-4. Totals: 48-10-110.
Plattsburgh State (81)
Harte 4-1-9, Amarando 10-2-22, Cassidy 3-1-9, Moore 5-0-12, McCoy 6-1-14, Licata 1-0-2, Larivee 4-0-8, O'Keefe 1-1-3, Gyscek 0-2-2. Totals: 34-8-81.
3-point goals: Baruch (4), Salmon, Clarke, Sierk, Sells. Plattsburgh State (5), Cassidy 2, Moore 2, McCoy.
Halftime: Baruch 56-45.
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Third-place game
Castleton State 84, Albany Pharmacy 43
Castleton (84)
Johnson 2-0-4, Dunchus 3-3-9, Jaques 2-2-7, Hoxsie 1-0-3, Bolognani 3-0-7, Crehan 0-2-2, Bashaw 1-1-4, Finlan 0-2-2, Roberts 0-2-2, Powers 9-2-21, Cary 4-3-11, Matos 4-4-12. Totals: 29-21-84.
Albany Pharmacy (43)
Oaks 3-2-8, McCormack 1-1-3, Izzo 2-0-4, Mehta 2-0-4, VanValkenburgh 3-4-13, Bechard 1-2-4, Andreini 0-0-0, Ray 2-3-7. Totals: 14-12-43.
3-point goals: Castleton State (5), Jaques, Hoxsie, Bolognani, Bashaw, Powers. Albany Pharmacy (3), VanValkenburgh 3.
Halftime: Castleton State 34, Albany Pharmacy 16.
E-mail Courtney Lewis at: clewis@pressrepublican.com
