Fredonia State Athletics Fredonia State’s Mackenna Nechwedowich (30) goes for a layup while being defended by Potsdam’s Alyson Crosby (22).

The Fredonia State women’s basketball team claimed a much-needed SUNYAC victory 75-61 over visiting Potsdam on Wednesday.

Three Devils scored in double digits, led by senior Katie Pitcher (Fulton/Hannibal High) with 19. Fellow senior Lauren Mickley (Danville, Ohio/Danville) had 15 and Renee Park (Union Springs/Union Springs) had 12 and a team-high seven rebounds.

Isabella Wier (East Aurora/East Aurora) put forth another strong outing, with 9 points and five assists. Mary Culeton (Oswego/Oswego) matched her with 9 points and snared three steals.

A furious first quarter saw the teams race out to a 24-19 score, with the Devils holding the advantage. Park had 9 points and Pitcher had 8 in the first. They combined to go 8 of 9 from the field and the Devils went 11 of 13 as a team.

The Devils extended the lead to 13 by the half. Pitcher had 16 at the break as the Devils led 43-30. She was 7 of 9 from the floor and 2 of 2 from the line. The Devils maintained 67% shooting (18 of 27). The were also 4 of 4 from the line and 3 of 4 from downtown. Potsdam made good on 36% of its shots. Dyamon Hunter had 10 points at the break to lead the Bears.

The Bears closed the gap in the third, outscoring the Devils 22-13, making it a four-point game 56-52 heading into the fourth.

Fredonia State opened the final frame on an 13-1 run capped by a Wier three at 4:18, putting them up 69-53. From there, they were able to hold off the Potsdam offense and cruise to the win.

Mackenna Nechwedowich (Berkshire/Newark Valley) added 7 points and three blocked shots for the Devils.

The Devils finished the game shooting 47% from the floor, went 6 of 13 from 3-point range, and were 19 of 23 from the line (83%).

Potsdam (8-5/3-4 SUNYAC) outrebounded the Devils 44-40. The Bears shot 29% from the floor and hit just 3 of 13 3s. Hunter finished with a game-high 21 points.

The win moves the Devils to 8-7 overall and 3-5 in the SUNYAC. The teams meet up again in just two days when the Devils travel to Potsdam for a 5:30 tip-off.

The Fredonia State women team led late in the fourth quarter, but could not hang on, dropping a 61-57 contest Tuesday in Dods Hall. Up 57-56 after back-to-back free throws by Pitcher, Plattsburgh closed the game scoring the final five points for the win. Pitcher finished with 15 points, and Park and Nechwedowich had 12 apiece.

The fourth quarter went back and forth, with eight lead changes and four ties. The biggest lead by either team came following Fredonia State’s 7-0 run, putting them up 52-46 with 4:19 to play. Plattsburgh quickly tied the game with back-to-back 3s on its next two possessions.

A pair of free throws by Pitcher with 1:38 to play gave the Devils a 57-56 edge. A layup and three free throws down the stretch put the game away for Plattsburgh.

For the Devils, Culeton had six rebounds, six steals, and four assists. The defense was credited with 15 steals and caused 22 turnovers.

Plattsburgh (5-8/2-4 SUNYAC) received 16 points from Hannah Ruberto. Kayla Doody and Peyton Couture had 14 points apiece.

MEN FALL WEDNESDAY

The Fredonia State men’s basketball fell short to SUNY Potsdam with a final score of 66-65 on Wednesday.

Aaron Collins (Erie, Pennsylvania/Erie First Christian Academy) had an outstanding performance with 22 points, six rebounds and two steals, and was 5 of 11 from 3-point range. Kreem George (Brooklyn/Brooklyn Collegiate) had 8 points and 10 rebounds. Other contributors consisted of Jacob Hougan (Chardon, Ohio/Chardon) with 12 points and Alon Kremerman (Tel Aviv, Israel/Harishonim) with 11.

The first half came to an end with the Blue Devils trailing 38-34. Collins was off to a hot start with 14 points, three rebounds and a steal. George was another contributor with 5 points, seven rebounds, and an assist. However, the Blue Devils were only able to take the lead for one possession with 8:30 left in the half 24-23.

In the second half, the Blue Devils found a boost of energy to go on a 16-3 run, within the opening six minutes taking a 50-41 lead. It would be their biggest lead of the game. The Bears came back to retake the lead. Potsdam’s Jeff Williamson nailed a three to give them a 53-52 lead with 9:03 on the clock. There would be four more lead changes.

Fredonia fought back to gain its final lead with 3:54 left in the game, 64-62.

With 9.7 seconds left in the game and down by two, Hougan was fouled and sent to the line to shoot two free throws. Hougan hit the first shot and missed the second one. Fredonia State’s Adesoji Tiamiyu got the offensive rebound but couldn’t make the contested layup. The Devils had a last-ditch chance on an inbounds play, but could not convert.

Potsdam improves to 6-6overall and 4-3 in the SUNYAC. Brandan Segar had 17 to lead the visitors.

The Blue Devils (1-14/ 1-7 SUNYAC) look to get revenge Friday as they travel to SUNY Potsdam.

The Fredonia State men earned their first victory of the season and the first for head coach Sean Smiley with a 76-72 victory over SUNYAC foe Plattsburgh on Tuesday.

George and Jackson Brown (Latham/Catholic Central) stepped up with strong second halves and clutch performances to aid in the victory. George finished with 19 points and Brown had 18.

George hit three big 3-pointers early in the second half, and Brown went 9 of 11 from the line, many of them late in the game.

The Devils opened the second half down six when back-to-back 3s by George tied the game. In addition to his 19 points, George grabbed eight boards and went 6 of 8 from the free-throw line.

Later, with the game tied at 39-all after a free throw by George and 15 minutes left to play, Kremerman nailed a 3 before Plattsburgh’s Kevin Tabb responded with a 3 of his own. George then connected for his third 3 of the half, making it 45-42 Fredonia State. Another 3 by Tabb tied the game.

Malik Jemison (Buffalo/Canisius) then converted a layup and back-to-back 3s by Brown put the Devils up 53-45.

The Devils led by as many as 10 before the Cardinals clawed back into the game. A layup by Plattsburgh’s Erik Salo put the Cardinals up 66-55 with 2:42 to play.

A pair of free throws and a layup by Collins on the two ensuing possessions gave the lead back to the Devils for good. Collins would finish with 10 points.

Brown and George would combine to go 7 of 8 from the line over the final two minutes to seal the win.

Kremerman finished with 9 points and eight rebounds, and Jemison had 9 points and six assists.

The Cardinals had four players in double digits. Tabb had 22 points and Salo had 19.

The Devils won the battle on the boards 46-38 and went 20 of 26 (77%) from the line, while Plattsburgh hit 17 of 30 (57%). Plattsburgh falls to 1-12 overall and 0-6 in the conference.