A 47-point second half erased a 14-point halftime deficit tonight, as the SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team surged past rival SUNY Cortland in the quarterfinals of the SUNYAC tournament.  The win for fifth-seeded Oneonta (17-9) sets up a semifinal date this Friday against top-seeded New Paltz at 7:30pm.  The championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 4pm at New Paltz.
 
Four players scored in double figures tonight including a pair that registered double-doubles.  Senior Lyteshia Price (Liverpool/Liverpool) led Oneonta with 26 points including 18 in the second half to go with a game-high 14 rebounds.  Freshman Teresa Anken (Rome/Rome Free Academy) scored 10 points while collecting a season high 11 rebounds.  Senior Caitlin Cariseo (Syracuse/Jamesville Dewitt) scored 14 of her collegiate high 16 points off the bench in the second half while junior Cara Adams (Attleboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) contributed 12 points on four three-pointers.
 
Oneonta's comeback began in the third period after trailing 35-21 at halftime.  Oneonta made 8-of-15 shots including 5-of-9 from behind the arc in the quarter and outscored Cortland (17-9) 22-7.  A trey by Adams with seven seconds left in the period gave Oneonta a 43-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter.  The lead was the first for Oneonta since early in the first quarter at 6-4.
 
From the beginning of the fourth quarter Oneonta continued its momentum enroute to building a nine-point lead by midway through the final stanza.  Price and Cariseo combined to score 19 of Oneonta's 25 points in the quarter.
 
Oneonta finished the game shooting just under 38 percent from the floor including at even 50 percent (15-30) in the second half.  Oneonta outrebounded Cortland 43-32 while collecting 19 assists on 23 baskets led by sophomore Samantha Lisikatos (Cold Spring/Haldane) who dished out seven assists.
 
Oneonta's poor shooting first half and 16 turnovers caused them to be in a 14-point hole at halftime.  Oneonta jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead before Cortland steadily battled to grab a slim 15-14 lead at the end of the first period.
 
Cortland got hot in the second period while holding Oneonta to just seven points, as they took a 35-21 into the break.
 
Price, Cariseo and classmate Bryn Loomis (Norwich/Norwich) collectively stated, "After losing three of our final four games and dealing with some adversity, this victory is a true testament to what this team is capable of when we believe in each other."
 
This is Oneonta's 23^rd consecutive appearance in the SUNYAC tournament and, with tonight's win, they will be making their seventh semifinal appearance in the nine seasons under Head Coach Daphne Thompson.  Oneonta will be looking to advance to the championship game for the seventh time with its last title coming in 2012.