POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam women's basketball team (3-4, 2-2 SUNYAC) started slowly before surging past Oswego State (8-2, 2-2) 64-54 on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Jakia Howard (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham) had 15 points and eight rebounds and senior guard Dyamon Hunter (Bronx, N.Y./Thurgood Marshall Academy) matched her with 15 points and six assists.
 
The teams equaled each other for the first three minutes of the contest, but an 11-3 run by the Lakers made it a 17-9 contest after one quarter. Howard scored four of the Bears' points. Graduate student guard Logan Castiglione (Waterloo, N.Y./Waterloo) scored nine points for Oswego and sophomore guard Shania Iglesias (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) had the other eight.
 
Potsdam rallied in the second quarter with an 11-2 stretch to start off. A layup from Howard made it a 20-19 Bears lead at 5:02. Howard scored six of the points. It was back and forth until the half. A Howard free throw with three seconds left closed the gap to 26-24, but the Lakers led at the half.
 
The Bears outscored Oswego 19-13 in the third quarter. Potsdam opened the period on an 11-3 run. At 5:40, sophomore guard Carley Hill (Essex, Vt./Rice Memorial) hit a three to give the Bears the lead for good at 31-29. Hunter scored on a layup at 3:57 to extend the lead to 35-29 and cap the run. Sophomore guard Mikayla Shipley (North Chili, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) hit a three to make it an eight-point contest with 2:06 on the clock. Sophomore guard Elaina Johnson (Spencerport, N.Y./Spencerport) scored with 13 seconds to go to get the Lakers within 43-39 after 30 minutes. Hunter and Hill each had six points for the Bears in the third and sophomore Jenna Cotter (Johnson City, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) added four.
 
After Oswego had whittled the lead to two, Bears sophomore guard Xy'El Bradford (Syracuse, N.Y./Syracuse Academy of Science) hit a three to make it 46-41 at 8:18 of the fourth quarter. The Lakers hung around awhile longer and sophomore guard Diamond Pickett (Rochester, N.Y./East) scored at 6:04 to trim Potsdam's advantage to just 50-48. That was as close at the Lakers came to regaining the lead. Clutch shooting and tough defense put the game away for the Bears. Hunter hit a three with 4:56 left and Potsdam outscored the visitors 14-6 the rest of the way.
 
Hill finished with a career-high nine points and Bradford had eight. Cotter had five points and a team-leading 11 boards.
 
Iglesias led the Lakers with 14 points, five boards, four steals and three assists. Castiglione and Pickett each scored 11 and Pickett completed her double-double with a contest-best 12 rebounds.
 
Potsdam shot 40.3-percent from the floor to Oswego's 36.7. The Bears outrebounded the Lakers 43-35.
 
Potsdam wraps up the semester tomorrow when they host SUNY Cortland at noon.