UTICA, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly women's basketball team lost their season opener on Friday night against the visiting Clarkson Gold Knights 62-45. The Golden Knights raced out to a large first-quarter lead and never looked back. With the win, the Golden Knights improved to 1-0. The Wildcats move to 0-1 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Golden Knights opened the game on a 22-3 run that was highlighted by Cassidy Dumont, who would end the game with 18 points for the Golden Knights. The Wildcats were unable to get any offense going early, which led to a big deficit at the end of the first quarter.

The Wildcats would strike back, however, winning the second quarter 14-10 and cutting the deficit to 32-17 heading into halftime. Kate Donnelly would sink two free throws at the beginning of the quarter to get the scoring started, and the Wildcats would gain some confidence shooting the ball. Transfer Alivia Turk would chip in four points in the quarter, and finished with a team-high 12 points, and was the lone Wildcat to score in double figures. 

The second half consisted of more balanced scoring between the teams, with the Golden Knights winning the third quarter 20-14, and the Wildcats again responding in the fourth quarter, winning the final quarter 14-10. The young Wildcat team will look to build on their adjustments as the prepare to take on Buffalo State on Friday for their first away matchup of the season.