Utica, N.Y. — The SUNY Poly women's basketball team battled throughout a tightly contested matchup on Saturday afternoon, but ultimately fell 61-55 at home to the Clarkson University Golden Knights. With the loss, the Wildcats move to 2–3 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SUNY Poly opened the night with strong defensive energy but couldn't find early scoring rhythm. Clarkson capitalized first, knocking down a trio of early buckets—including a three from Addie Kea and a jumper from Bella Doyle—to build a 5–0 lead.
The Wildcats responded at the 7:12 mark when Jenna Kocieneda buried a three from the left wing off a feed from Sanaa Lee, trimming the deficit to 5–3. Alysa Jackson added a free throw moments later, and the Wildcats continued to chip away with mid-range makes from Jackson and Alivia Turk.
SUNY Poly twice cut Clarkson's lead to just one, highlighted by Lee's smooth driving finish that made it 11–10. But the Golden Knights answered with timely scoring from Doyle and Fallon Griffin. Jackson's deep three with 1:15 remaining kept the Wildcats close, and a late free throw from Amiyah Ferebee sent Poly into the second quarter trailing just 19–15.
Clarkson struck first to begin the second with a three from Emma Chambers, pushing the gap to seven. SUNY Poly struggled to convert early in the quarter, but defensive disruption kept them within reach; steals from Bryanna Lucas and Jackson sparked transition chances.
A key sequence came midway through the period when Jackson finished a fastbreak layup off her own steal, cutting the deficit to 24–19. Moments later, Kelsey Meca scored in transition to bring Poly within three at 24–21.
Clarkson answered with another Griffin three before Lee scored inside and Turk added a jumper, bringing the game to 27–26. Despite strong interior play from Lee and multiple defensive stops, Clarkson used late three-point shooting from Griffin and solid half-court execution to take a 32–30 lead into halftime.
The third quarter opened with Poly immediately tying the game as Jackson knocked down a pull-up jumper. Kayla Wilson followed with a layup and a free throw to give SUNY Poly a 35–32 advantage.
Clarkson responded with a run of their own, tying the game on a Doyle three before trading baskets with the Wildcats through the mid-quarter stretch. Lee and Wilson continued to produce inside, and a strong finish from Lucas brought the Wildcats back within one at 40–39.
But Clarkson closed the quarter with a momentum-shifting surge, hitting three triples in the final two minutes—two from Kea and one from Chambers—to take a 49–43 lead heading into the fourth.
SUNY Poly opened the final frame aggressively. Lee scored inside off an offensive rebound, and Wilson added a layup to make it 49–47.
Clarkson, however, again turned to its perimeter shooting. Doyle scored inside, and Griffin drilled a deep three at the 5:55 mark to push the lead back to 54–49. A Kress three and a late Doyle layup extended the gap to double digits, and despite strong defensive effort and multiple attacking drives, Poly was unable to close the deficit in the final minutes.
Clarkson would maintain control down the stretch, winning the game by a score of 61-55.
