The Oswego State women's basketball team recorded a 67-55 victory at Plattsburgh (7-14, 5-9 SUNYAC) on Friday night behind a career-high 33-point performance by Courtney Ameele. With a 3-pointer in the final minute of regulation, Ameele also became the 10th member of the Oswego State 1,000-point club.
Ameele did not just put on an offensive show, however, as she tied a career-high on the boards as well, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds for her first career double-double. The senior was extremely efficient on the offensive end of the hardwood, shooting 50-percent or better from the field (14-for-23), 3-point land (3-for-6) and the charity stripe (2-for-2).
Friday's game opened with three-straight 3-pointers, the first two from Plattsburgh to have Oswego find itself in a 6-0 hole. The Lakers responded in a major way, beginning with a quick 6-3 spurt to knot the game, 9-9. Over the final 6:48 of the first quarter, Oswego did not surrender a point to hold a 22-9 lead heading into the second.
Back-to-back layups to start the next quarter – from Ameele and Quincey Zimmerman – capped a 21-0 run that lasted 6:21. The Lakers possessed a double-digit advantage for the majority of the rest of the half, with the Cardinals only to cut it to nine on one occasion. Entering halftime, Oswego owned a 34-23 spread.
In the second half, the Lakers were able to hold off a pair of Cardinal comeback attempts. Plattsburgh cut the Oswego lead to just three points in both the third and fourth quarters but the Lakers had an answer each time. At the end of the third, Oswego scored four-straight points to end the period and hold a seven-point edge. After the lead was again shaved to three in the fourth, Oswego closed the game on a 9-0 run, seven of which came from Ameele. The Lakers were 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final minute to ice the contest.
Raiven Encarnacion was the other Laker in double-figures on Friday, scoring exactly 10 points. Following Ameele and Encarnacion were Zimmerman and Rachael Windhausen, splitting 18 points evenly. Windhausen missed a double-double by just a point as she grabbed 12 rebounds, as did Zana Dillard.
Oswego – now 6-14 on the year and 3-10 in the conference – stay in the North Country for a 1 p.m. matchup at Potsdam on Saturday.
