By Emma Deo
Plattsburgh State Cardinals women’s basketball celebrated the program’s 50th anniversary with a dominant 67-40 win over the Utica University Pioneers to end the Cardinal Classic tournament.
Prior to the game, the Plattsburgh State Athletics department hosted a ceremony honoring several alumni of the program. Twenty-one alumnae RSVP’d the event, including Castleton head coach Kathleen Payne, a Plattsburgh Hall of Famer.
50TH ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY
Frannie Merkel, who competed with the women’s basketball team from 2016 to 2018 was among the alumnae being recognized before the game Saturday. In her rookie year, Merkel led the SUNYAC in field goal percentage and blocks per game and ranked second in the conference in rebounds.
“Plattsburgh reminds me of family. It’s almost the same but in a good way. Coach (Cheryl) Cole is still around, Ben Sarraf is still around. They pushed us to our limit and are still pushing these girls to their limit,” Merkel said. “I love seeing it not stay the same but still have that feeling of Plattsburgh basketball.”
Merkel also competed with the softball program during her time at Plattsburgh State, coming back as a volunteer assistant coach in 2022.
“It’s a really great community that I never left so when you have so many people to support you, look out for you, help you with job situations, it’s really great networking and I am so lucky to have that,” Merkel said.
The Cardinals added a patch to their jerseys in honor of the alumnae, which has remained in following games.
CASTLETON
Plattsburgh finished the Holiday Inn Express Cardinal Classic 2-0, beginning with a scrappy 52-45 win over the Vermont State University Castleton Spartans. Senior guard/forward Payton Couture led all scorers with a 21-point double-double, her second in a row.
“Working our plays always works well for us, looking for the open players and knowing our offense and where everyone will be,” Couture said.
The Cardinals opened up the first quarter with a 3-0 lead, holding the Spartans scoreless for the first six minutes. Baskets from Couture and sophomore guard Selma Deisz extended Plattsburgh’s lead to 7-2.
Plattsburgh went into the second quarter with a 15-10 lead. Junior guard Jaden Wilson extended the Plattsburgh advantage to 17-12 with a layup, until the Spartans went on a 10-0 run, propelling Castleton to a 25-19 lead. The teams traded leads back and forth for the rest of the quarter, but the Cardinals headed to the locker room at halftime at a 32-29 deficit.
The third quarter opened with nearly five minutes of scoreless basketball, until a Spartan layup extended their lead to 34-29. Shortly after, sophomore guard Julia Greek splashed a three-pointer to cut the Spartan lead to two. Couture then put up four straight points, giving the Cardinals a 36-34 advantage. The Spartans ended the quarter with a 6-0 run, putting Castleton back on top 40-36.
The Cardinals squashed this comeback with a 9-0 run to open the final quarter, holding this lead until the final buzzer. Plattsburgh State’s defense dominated to end the game, propelling the Cardinals to a 52-45 win to open the weekend.
UTICA
Plattsburgh State followed this game with a commanding win over Utica University.
The Cardinals had a phenomenal offensive showing Saturday afternoon, shooting 43.9 percent from the field and splashing 12 three-pointers. Greek led all scorers with 13 points, with Couture and junior center Imani Walcott each contributing 12.
Three of the 12 came within the first three minutes of the game, two from Couture and one from Wilson pushing the Cardinals to an early 9-0 lead. The Cardinals did not give up this lead for the entire contest. Plattsburgh State closed the quarter on a 10-0 run, putting them on top 22-6. Fifteen of the Cardinals’ 22 points were a result of a three-pointer.
“I’d say it was our first team win of the season, a lot of players got involved and were shooting really well,” Couture said.
Sophomore guard Lauren LaFountain added to the Cardinals’ onslaught of three-point shots, opening the second quarter at a 25-8 advantage. The Cardinals’ offense continued to dominate, ending the second quarter with another LaFountain three, pushing the Cardinals up 37-13 at the half.
“It was one of the first times of my career that at halftime I was able to tell them to keep doing what they’re doing,” head coach Ben Sarraf said.
In the third quarter, the Pioneers put the pressure on with an 8-0 run, but this was not enough to shut down the Cardinals’ offense. Plattsburgh State headed into the fourth quarter with a 30 point edge over the Pioneers thanks to a buzzer beater three from Greek.
Plattsburgh State continued this dominance all the way to the final buzzer, heading to the locker room with a 67-40 win over Utica.
“I think we went into this game more confident,” Couture said. “Knowing that we can do it and trusting our shot and trusting each other to play well.”
