PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly women's basketball team earned their first win of the season on Friday over Anna Maria 72-51. The game was close through 20 minutes of play, but the Wildcats turned up the heat in the second half to secure their place in the St. John Fisher Tip-off Tournament Championship game on Saturday.

HOW IT HAPPENED:  

The game was tight in the first half with Anna Maria holding a one point lead through 20 minutes of play. That all changed in the third quarter where the Wildcats put up a dominating 24-7 score differential to take a commanding 59-43 lead. The fourth quarter was a jog to the finish line, as the Wildcats held onto the lead to win by 21.

NOTABLES: 

• The Wildcats had four players in score in the double-digits.
• Taylor Aybar (Woodside, N.Y.) led the way with a game high 21 points. She shot 8-15 from the floor (53%) with six assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
• Rylie Smith (St Johnsville, N.Y.) scored 15 in her season debut. The senior drained a game high three 3-pointers and pulled down nine rebounds.
• Molly Burdick (Vestal, N.Y.) scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds in her Wildcat debut. The freshman also had two blocks in the game.
• Kiersten Leos (Camden, N.Y.) scored 11 in the season debut. She also had three rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
• Freshman Samantha Dayter (Cohoes, N.Y.) scored eight points and had seven rebounds in her first game as a Wildcat. She also had a game high five steals, two blocks, and an assist.

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats will play in the Championship game of the St. John Fisher Tip-off Tournament tomorrow at 3:00 PM. The 'Cats will play the host Cardinals in the game.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and over 300 corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.