OSWEGO, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly women's basketball team opened the 2022-23 season with an eight-point win over Morrisville State on Friday 63-55. The game was tightly contested in most statistical categories, but the Wildcats had 16 steals and forced 19 turnovers to set themselves up for the win.
The Wildcats got out to a six-point lead in the first quarter thanks in large part to Molly Burdick's seven points and four rebounds in the first ten minutes. Morrisville fought themselves right back into the game, outscoring the Wildcats 21-14 in the second quarter to take a 32-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Kelsey Meca scored six points in the third quarter for the Wildcats and the defense held Morrisville to eight points to regain the lead with ten minutes to play. Lyrik Jackson and Kierra Connor closed out the game for the Wildcats, combining to score 11 of their team's 19 points in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats had a big edge statistically in the steals column 16-7 and won the turnover battle 14-19 en route to the win. They also outrebounded the Mustangs 50-39 and had a huge advantage with 26 second-chance points to Morrisville's nine.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Kierra Connor had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench for the Wildcats. Seven of her rebounds were on the offensive glass. She also had three blocks.
- Molly Burdick had a 17-point 12 rebound double-double for the Wildcats with a pair of steals and four assists.
- Lyrik Jackson scored 14 points for the Wildcats and was a rebound shy of a double-double. Jackson also had a game-high five steals.
- Lauren Denny stuffed her stat sheet with nine points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
- Brooke Hammersley had a team-high 10 points and a team-high four assists for Morrisville.
- Kayla Dykas and Delimar Vega-Haley each scored nine points for the Mustangs.
- Cara Walker had a team-high 10 rebounds for Morrisville.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats will face the winner of the night's second game between Keystone and Oswego State in the Max Ziel Tournament Championship Game on Saturday at Oswego. The game will be played at 4:00 PM and will be streamed on Youtube.
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SUNY Poly is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, 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, game design, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica campus; 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 hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.
