WBB: SUNY Poly Knocked out of NCAA Tournament by Montclair.

Game Leaders

SUNY Poly
Pts: Stevie Ray - 18
Reb: TEAM - 13
Ast: Emily Alicea - 2
Montclair St.
Pts: Zoe Curtis - 18
Reb: Katie Sire - 8
Ast: Kate Tobie - 5

Team Stats

SUNY Poly
Montclair St.

Field Goals

(15-61)
(18-57)

Field Goal %

24.6%
31.6%

Rebounds

51
40

Assists

6
12

Turnovers

16
13

Pts off Turnovers

6
11

2nd Chance Pts

15
5

Pts in the Paint

20
20

Fastbreak Pts

2
4

Bench Pts

6
13
full stats
WBB: SUNY Poly Knocked out of NCAA Tournament by Montclair.
Posted: Mar 04, 2016

MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The historical run for the Wildcats ended on Friday with a bang as the Wildcats fell to the Red Hawks of Montclair State in a hard fought, physical game. The two teams come from very different backgrounds. The Wildcats; a newcomer to the NCAA Tournament having never earned a trip to the show, and the Red Hawks a seasoned NCAA Tournament competitor having reached the dance every year since 2013, culminating in a Final Four appearance last year.

 The game started out as a back and forth battle, the two teams trading blows. The first quarter ended with the Red Hawks up 16-11 thanks to a 6-0 run by the Hawks from 4:45 to 1:54. The battle continued in the second with neither team able to find their offensive rhythm. Through the first half both team shot sub 35% from the field. Despite the stagnant offense and stingy defense, the Red Hawks extended the lead to seven heading into the locker room. The scenario felt very familiar for SUNY Poly, Wildcat Nation could sense a comeback brewing.
 
The fans would almost get exactly what they asked for as the Wildcats triumphantly battled themselves back into the game after going down 13 points. The Wildcats ended the third with an 8-3 run to bring them back to within eight points and carried the momentum into the fourth, starting the quarter with a 7-0 run to get within one point of the Red Hawks. Montclair's experience proved to be too much however as they were able to slow down the tempo and make some big defensive stops to hold the rallying Wildcats down. The Red Hawks secured the win at the free throw line going 7-8 to close out the game. The final score was 55-48.
 
Stevie Ray (Syracuse, N.Y. / Fabius-Pompey HS) led the charge offensively for the Wildcats. She had a team high 18 points (tied for the game high), and had three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. The defense keyed in on her early playing face up on her the entire game. The defensive pressure limited her shooting percentage, but she had two or three outstanding plays when it counted to get the Wildcats back in the game.
 
Senior Lauren Knowles (Salisbury Mills, N.Y. / Washingtonville HS) played a gritty, hard fought game in the paint. She had a game high 10 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive board, closing out her career with her 15th double-double of the season. Knowles had 13 points in the game bringing her career total to a very respectable 1,114. Knowles finished her career as the second most prolific rebounder in school history, grabbing 850 rebounds (281 offensive, and 569 defensive). In the game Knowles also had two blocks and a steal.
 
Geena Gallo (Ballston Spa, N.Y. / Ballston Spa HS) closed out her Wildcat career with an eight point, eight rebound performance. She also recorded a block and an assist in the game. Gallo, who scored her 1,000th point earlier this season finished with 1,201 total points, putting her third on the all-time scorers list at SUNY Poly.
 
The Red Hawks got a great performance from Zoe Curtis who led Montclair with 18 points. She shot 50% from the field and had four rebounds, two blocks, an assist, and four rebounds.
 
As a team the Wildcats shot just 24.6 % from the field, their second lowest shooting percentage of the season. The defense held Montclair to just 31.6 percent from the field and 30% from the three point line. The Wildcats out rebounded Montclair 51-40, which turned into a 15-5 second chance points advantage. The Wildcat defense also forced 13 turnovers. They swatted away three shots and had six steals in the game
 

The NCAA Tournament game caps off the Wildcats best season in program history. The Wildcats finished first in the NEAC North Division with an overall record of 23-6 and a conference record of 17-1. The team won their first NEAC Tournament Championship, and made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first, but certainly not last, time in program history. The Athletics Department is extremely proud of this team for being not only SUNY Poly's first women's basketball team to reach the NCAA Tournament, but for being the first SUNY Poly women's team to reach the NCAA Tournament.

 
After the game, SUNY Poly President and CEO Dr. Alain Kaloyeros had this to say about the Wildcats Historic Season: "Congratulations to our SUNY Poly Wildcats women's basketball team on a phenomenal season…. Head coach Jessica Skelton and her coaching staff and the players are to be commended for their outstanding effort and dedication, which has earned our athletics program the kind of national recognition and stature it deserves.   The SUNY Poly community applauds their achievements."