The New Paltz Women’s Basketball Team is soaring high. The Lady Hawks had an intense weekend with back to back games on Friday, Feb. 18 and Saturday, Feb. 19. These back to back games also meant back to back wins for the team, just as they won both their Friday and Saturday games last weekend, as well! All four of these games are SUNYAC wins under the Hawks’ belt.
On Friday, Feb. 18, the Hawks took on Plattsburgh on our home court, the Hawk Center. This was one of those games where it wasn’t just a win, it was an absolute smackdown. It was game 13 in a winning streak against the Cardinals. The team wiped the floor with the weaker birds, finishing up with a score of 71-40.
This insane lead was in part due to second-year forward Abby Korzekwinski. Korzekwinski was filling the shoes of third-year forward Semaiah Williams, who was out with an injury. Korzekwinski was the lead scorer, with the six-foot-tall star racking up a total of 21 points. This was a career-high for her and an incredible performance. She cemented the team’s unbeatable lead as early on as the first quarter. She scored three of the 12 points that had the team ahead 12-2 with 57 seconds left in the first quarter.
The rest of the game was a whirlwind of impressive passes and plays. They rarely missed a shot, and kept their energy high. The Lady Hawks only grew their lead as the game went on, the cheerleaders and the crowd screaming their support. It was an epic SUNYAC game.
The Potsdam Bears came to the Hawk Center to challenge our Lady Hawks fresh off their win. As expected, it didn’t go well for the Bears.
Third-year guard Graci Serravillo started the game off with a bang, scoring a three-pointer as the very first basket. Potsdam scored twice early in the first quarter, with the score at 5-3, but New Paltz took the lead back and kept it until the game was finished.
The game ran smoothly until the fourth quarter, where Potsdam began to not only close the gap, but started a series of intentional fouls. The Lady Hawks took the fouls with grace and scored off the free throws they warranted, so the lead stayed Hawks favor.
The game ended 69-56, making the regular season score for the Lady Hawks 18-6 overall and 14-4 in SUNYACs. This means they have secured their spot in the SUNYAC semifinals. They will take on the No. 4 seed, Geneseo, Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m. in Cortland, NY.
This win also means that the Hawks were undefeated at home games. They have had an amazing season, especially with home fans cheering them on. We will continue our cheers as they advance to semifinals and take on the last rounds of SUNYAC games. Lady Hawks, you got this!
