The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team completed its trip to Delaware, OH yesterday in the championship game of the Bishop Classic/Hoops for Hope Tournament hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University.  The Red Dragons put together a strong second half to defeat host OWU 57-46 to claim the title.
 
Oneonta (6-3) had defeated Wilmington College, 65-54, on Tuesday to reach the championship game.
 
Senior Lyteshia Price (Liverpool/Liverpool) led four players in double figures with 17 points, as the Red Dragons dominated in the paint in its win against OWU.  Oneonta outscored the Bishops 42-16 in the paint while shooting 44 percent from the floor.  Price earned MVP honors for the two-day event and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by senior Bryn Loomis (Norwich/Norwich).
 
Oneonta's bench also had a strong outing in yesterday's game with three players reaching double figures.  Loomis scored a season high 12 points to lead the reserves while junior Sara DiPasquale (Buffalo, NY/Cardinal O'Hara) and sophomore Samantha Lisikatos (Cold Spring/Haldane) scored 10 points each, which was a season high for both.
 
The Red Dragons trailed, 22-21, at halftime, but turned up its game on both ends of the floor in the final two quarters.  Oneonta took the lead for good on a layup by Loomis with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter.  By the end of the quarter, the Red Dragons increased its lead to seven points.
 
In its opening victory against Wilmington, Oneonta played a sluggish first half before putting it together to overcome an eight-point deficit to take the win.  Price and Adams combined for 36 points to lead the Red Dragons.
 
Oneonta shot only 27 percent in the opening half including 2-of-12 from behind the arc.  In the second half they nearly doubled its shooting percentage (52%) while connecting on 6-of-10 from long range.  Price scored 14 of her game high 20 points in the comeback.
 
Oneonta's first lead of the contest came at the end of the third quarter when Adams hit a trey with three seconds left in the stanza.
 
With the score 48-47 early in the fourth quarter, the Red Dragons ran off 10 unanswered fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Adams, who finished the game with four from long range.
 
Wilmington only got as close as 61-54 with just over one minute remaining in the game, but Oneonta was able to manage the final minute to secure the victory.
 
Oneonta will be back in action next Tuesday, Jan. 5 with a home game against Oswego beginning at 5:30pm.