Box Score Box Score

Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team remained undefeated today with a 66-60 win at Utica College. Local product Madison Slagle (Rome, Rome Catholic) led four players in double figures with 16 points as the Red Dragons have matched the program's best start to a season at 7-0. The last time Oneonta won seven straight games to start the season was in 1976-77.

Freshman Kristin Pappalardo (Mahopac, Lakeland) hit a jumper to put Oneonta ahead, 7-6 at the 16:04 mark of the first half. That basket jump started an 11-2 run over the next four minutes that gave The Red Dragons a ten point lead at 18-8. Pappalardo would finish the game with 12 points.

Utica battled back to cut the Oneonta lead to three points at 26-23 on a basket by Jessica Berry at the 6:03 mark, but the Red Dragons closed the half with a 10-2 spurt to take a 36-25 lead into halftime. Berry would finish the game with 22 points and 14 boards to lead the Pioneers.

The Red Dragons would extend its lead to as many as 16 points with 7:50 to go in the contest before Utica made one final run. The Pioneers made the game interesting by way of a 16-4 run in a span of 6:46 to cut the Oneonta lead to four points, 61-57, with 1:04 left in regulation.

Oneonta dropped 5-of-6 free throws with under a minute to go to seal the six point victory.

Oneonta shot 42.6 percent from the floor (26-of-61) on the afternoon. Junior Samantha Szkotak (New York Mills, New York Mills) netted 10 points while senior Erika Puffer (Unadilla, Unatego) scored 10 points off the bench while collecting a team high nine rebounds.

Oneonta returns to action at the Las Vegas Hoopla Tournament on Dec. 20th when it takes on Heidelberg at 10 a.m. PST.

Newspaper Box Score
ONEONTA STATE 66, UTICA 60

ONEONTA STATE (7-0, 2-0 SUNYAC)
SLAGLE, Madison 6-15 0-0 16; SZKOTAK, Samantha 4-14 4-4 12; PAPPALARDO, Kristin 4-4 2-2 10; PUFFER, Erika 5-8 0-0 10; SCHILLING, Grace 2-5 2-2 6; O'CONNELL, Mary Kate 2-4 0-0 4; WILVERDING, Kate 1-2 0-0 3; BUCCI, Rebecca 1-4 1-2 3; REGAN, Gabi 1-3 0-0 2; RUFER, Lisa 0-2 0-0 0; MULLIGAN, Kelly 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-61 9-10 66.

UTICA (4-5, 0-1 Empire8)
Jessica Berry 10-18 1-2 22; Katie McGee 3-8 2-2 10; Danielle Busansky 3-8 0-0 9; Devon Croll 3-10 0-0 8; Meghan Fiore 3-6 0-0 6; Justine Karst 1-4 1-1 3; Stephanie Nara 1-5 0-0 2; Janelle Nixon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 4-5 60.

3-point goals--Oneonta State 5-17 (SLAGLE, Madison 4-9; WILVERDING, Kate 1-1; SCHILLING, Grace 0-1; BUCCI, Rebecca 0-2; RUFER, Lisa 0-2; SZKOTAK, Samantha 0-2), UTICA 8-25 (Danielle Busansky 3-8; Devon Croll 2-5; Katie
McGee 2-7; Jessica Berry 1-2; Stephanie Nara 0-3).
Fouled out—Oneonta State-None, UTICA-None.
Rebounds--Oneonta State 37 (PUFFER, Erika 9), UTICA 34 (Jessica Berry 14).
Assists--Oneonta State 18 (BUCCI, Rebecca 4; PAPPALARDO, Kristin 4), UTICA 19 (Katie McGee 6).
Total fouls--Oneonta State 13, UTICA 13.
Technical fouls--Oneonta State-None, UTICA-None.
A-176