Sophomore Kevin Mackin (Nanuet/Nanuet) scored a game high 23 points and freshmen Jacob Rodriguez (Bronx/Mount St. Michael Academy) and Joseph Bull (Bronx/Mount St. Michael) combined for 21 points off the bench to lead the SUNY Oneonta men's basketball team to a 77-67 victory tonight in SUNYAC action against SUNY Potsdam.  Mackin continued his torrid shooting from long range matching his career high of seven three-pointers set just last week.
 
"I thought we came out ready to play, and played really well in the first half," said Head Coach Cameron Conover.  "The second half we weren't as focused defensively, but we have tough guys in our program and they made the plays down the stretch."
 
Oneonta (11-6, 7-4 SUNYAC) led comfortably for most of the second half until a few late surges by Potsdam (8-11, 3-9 SUNYAC) made the game interesting in the final five minutes.
 
Leading by 12 points, the Bears buried back-to-back threes to cut the deficit in half.  Dante Langley (17 points) and Danny Delsol-Lowry (12 points) each made one from behind the arc.
 
Oneonta's Ian Schultz (Clifton Park/CBA) would covert an old fashioned three-point play to push the lead back to nine points with 3:13 left to go.  Oneonta's lead continued to fluctuate between six and ten points for the remainder of the game.  The Red Dragons converted five of its six free throws over the final 26 seconds to secure the 10-point win.
 
Oneonta used multiple runs during the first half to build a 42-30 advantage heading into halftime.  The score was tied at 3-3 early on before the Red Dragons seized the momentum pulling away in increments with each run.  Oneonta had two 7-0 runs midway through the first half while scoring eight unanswered late in the half.
 
Oneonta scored 20 points off of 18 Potsdam turnovers tonight while commanding the paint to the tune of 32-18.  Bull and Rodriguez led the reserves who outscored the Bears' bench 28-23.  Oneonta collected nine steals in the game led by junior Matthew Boyd (Hempstead/Half Hollow Hills East)'s four thefts.
 
Oneonta faces Plattsburgh tomorrow afternoon at home beginning at 3pm.