LANCASTER, PA. – The SUNY Poly women's basketball has won its first NEAC Championship in program history, earning them their first ever trip to the NCAA DIII Championship Tournament. The Wildcats had to beat the first place Lancaster Bible Chargers for the opportunity, and they did so with some late game heroics. The final score was 69-65.

Lancaster got out to a quick 20-7 lead in the first quarter,taking advantage of a slow start by the Wildcats. The Wildcats would have to make a monumental comeback to claim their title. Down 32-18 going into the third, SUNY Poly began to chip apart the lead that the Chargers had built over the first two quarters. The Wildcats cut the lead to a very manageable five points going into the final quarter and kept battling for the title. The Wildcats  took their first lead of the game with 1:23 remaining in the game and extended it to five points on free throws. The Wildcats held onto the lead to earn their first NEAC Championship trophy. 

Stevie Ray (Syracuse, N.Y. / Fabius-Pompey HS) had a monster game for the Wildcats. She scored all of her 30 points in the second half on 8-18 shooting. She had nine points from three point land; shooting 43 percent from behind the arc. She also had four big steals in the game and had an assist. She was super clutch down the stretch knocking down all of her free throws and giving the Wildcats the late lead. She went 11-11 from the stripe. Her phenomenal performance earned her the NEAC Tournament MVP award, the first tournament MVP award given to a SUNY Poly women's basketball player in the programs history.

Geena Gallo (Ballston Spa, N.Y. / Ballston Spa HS) and Lauren Knowles (Salisbury Mills, N.Y. / Washingtonville HS) had great performances in the Championship game. They each had 14 points in the game and both shot 50% from the field; each going 6-12 from the field. Lauren registered yet another double-double, adding a team high 15 rebounds to her 14 points. She also had a steal and a block in the game. Gallo hit the boards for four rebounds, snagged two steals, and had two assists. 

The gutsy performance by the Wildcats was one that fans will remember for a long time. When asked about the win Head Coach Jess Skelton said " I could not be more proud of this team.  No team deserves this more than they do. I'm just really happy for them. This is the goal that we set for ourselves at the beginning of the season. To see these girls face that kind of adversity, rise to the occasion, and battle as hard as they did is a true indication of their character, determination, and grit."

The Wildcats as a team shot 40 % from the field, 33.3% from three point range, and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. The Chargers shot 34.5% from the field, 31.2% from three point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line. 40 of the Wildcats 69 points came in the paint. SUNY Poly forced 23 turnovers in the game and scored 19 points off of those turnovers. The Wildcats also had eight second chance points. 

For the Chargers, NEAC Player of the Year Aubrey Folger led their team with 21 points. She shot 64% on 11 attempts. She also had nine rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Shanice Smith led all players with 16 rebounds and had 19 points for the Chargers. She shot 50% in the game. 

The NEAC Championship title is accompanied by an auto bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. This will be the Wildcats first appearance in the Women's Basketball Tournament. Details regarding the first round schedule will be released this upcoming week.