POTSDAM, N.Y.-- In the season opener, the SUNY Potsdam women's basketball team (0-1) fell to St. Lawrence University (1-0) with a score of 62-46. Freshman forward Devyn Elliott (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) led the Bears with 16 points and also had five rebounds. Saints forward Katie Frederick totaled 15 points and 12 boards.

St. Lawrence opened the game on an 8-0 run before Eliott halted them. The Saints had a 12 point lead with three minutes to go until Elliott and sophomore forward Nicole Hansen (Fulton, N.Y./G. Ray Bodley) narrowed the gap to seven, ending the first for Potsdam down 20-13.
The Bears were down 13 with 4:32 to go when they went on an 8-0 run. Senior captain Victoria Shopovick (White Plains, N.Y./Maria Regina), Elliott, Hansen, and senior guard Riley Luckie (Ogdensburg, N.Y./Ogdensburg) all had two points. Senior guard Abbey Smith (Bainbridge, N.Y./Bainbridge-Guilford) ended the half with a buzz-beater from the wing, bringing Potsdam to a 29-24 deficit.   

Sophomore center Naya Walters (Bronx, N.Y./Women's Academy of Excellence) had a pair of baskets to keep the Bears within striking distance. With 6:01 the Saints were up eight when they went on a 12-2 stretch to end the quarter. Four different players scored for St. Lawrence during the run with Ava McCann leading the charge with six points, while Elliott was the only scorer for Potsdam.

The final quarter had back-and-forth scoring with the Bears edging the Saints 13-11. Hansen, Elliott and Smith all had three points, while Walters and freshman guard Dyamon Hunter (Bronx, N.Y./Thurgood Marshall Academy) had two. Despite outscoring St. Lawrence in two quarters, Potsdam fell 62-46.

Hansen finished with seven points and led the team with three steals. Walters and Smith each recorded six points, with Walters recording six rebounds and Smith having the team-high five assists.

Annabella Pugliese had nine points and nine rebounds for the Saints, and McCann added nine points of her own.

The Bears are back in action Tuesday as they host Utica at 5:30 p.m. in Jerry Welsh Gymnasium.