Sophomores Carson Jacobs (Buchanan/Hendrick Hudson) and Harrison Deegan (Putnam Valley/Putnam Valley) combined for 19 points off the bench to help boost the SUNY Oneonta men's basketball defeat of Hartwick College 90-79 in the annual "Battle of the Hills".  The Oneonta (3-1) reserves outscored its counterparts from Hartwick (1-3) 33-17 in the game giving the Red Dragons a much needed lift especially in the second half where they scored 24 of the 33 points.
 
Senior Dwayne Freeman (Schenectady/Notre-Dame Bishop Gibbons) led all scorers in the game with 22 points to go with 10 rebounds.  Freeman was also a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.  Junior Matthew Boyd (Hempstead/Half Hollow Hills East) and sophomore Kevin Mackin (Nanuet/Nanuet) joined Freeman in double figures with 18 and 10 points respectively.  The three also combined to make seven three-pointers in the game.
 
After trailing 38-37 at halftime, the Red Dragons exploded for 53 points in the second half.  Oneonta converted Hartwick turnovers into 21 points while scoring another 20 points off second chances.  The Red Dragons trailed by as many as 11 points midway through the opening twenty minutes before closing the half on a 22-12 run to get to within a single point at the break.
 
After grabbing the lead early in the second half, Oneonta never trailed again.  The score was tied three more times, the last coming at 58-58.
 
With 6:37 remaining in the game, Oneonta held a two-point lead before scoring 10 unanswered to grab its largest lead with just over three minutes to go.  The Hawks pushed back and got as close as six points with 49 seconds left, but the Red Dragons converted 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch including four by Freeman to secure the victory.
 
Oneonta finished the game shooting 44 percent from the floor including 49 percent in the second half.  The Red Dragons also collected 51 rebounds with 19 coming on the offensive end.
 
Oneonta will play its first home games of the season this weekend when they host SUNY Geneseo and Brockport to begin the SUNYAC schedule.  Friday's game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30pm while Saturday's game is slated for a 3pm start.