A Quick Look
Senior Harrison Deegan (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley) and junior Andres Rivera (Bronx, NY/Walton) ignited a second half surge to lead the SUNY Oneonta men's basketball team to a come-from-behind 89-81 win against rival SUNY Cortland.  The win for Oneonta was its seventh straight and keeps them as the only undefeated squad in the SUNYAC at 4-0.  Cortland fell to 9-3 overall and 3-2 in the conference.
 
"Our guys stepped up big tonight," stated Head Coach Cameron Conover.  We fought the whole game and it seemed every time we got it to one or two points, Cortland would hit a three, but our guys didn't flinch.  We seemed to get tougher as the game went on and we made some key stops down the stretch while making some big shots when we needed them."
 
The Inside Story
Oneonta trailed 79-76 with 2:52 remaining in the game before they grabbed the led for good on back-to-back layups by senior Harrison Deegan (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley).  Deegan finished the game with 21 points including 13 in the second half.
 
After an Austin Grunder missed jumper, sophomore Dylan Trombley (Moriah, NY/Moriah) drained a three-pointer to push the lead to four points with just over one minute to go.  Oneonta converted 6-of-7 free throws down the stretch while Cortland only made one of its last five attempts from the field.
 
After falling behind 47-38 at the start of the second half, Oneonta put together a 15-4 burst to close the gap to 53-51 with just under 14 minutes remaining.  Deegan and classmate Kevin Mackin (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) combined for 11 of the points to pace Oneonta.
 
Five unanswered points by Cortland pushed its lead back to seven points, as they would hold its lead until junior Andres Rivera (Bronx, NY/Walton) fueled a run that tied the score at 69 apiece.  Trailing 60-55, Rivera scored 11 of the next 14 points for Oneonta including eight straight points.  Rivera scored all 13 of his points in the second half.
 
Oneonta led early 5-0 and 10-3 thanks to five points each by senior Ian Schultz (Clifton Park, NY/CBA) and junior Joseph Bull (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy).  Bull finished the contest with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
 
Cortland grabbed its first lead 13-12 when Brendan Fitzpatrick converted a pair of free throws.  The hosts pushed its lead to 25-17 midway through the first half on a basket by Ryan Schmadel.
 
The two teams spent the final 9:49 trading runs until Cortland ended the opening half with a three-pointer to grab a 44-38 lead at the break.
 
Just the Stats
Joining Deegan, Rivera and Bull in double figures for Oneonta were Mackin (12 points) and Trombley (16 points).  Trombley and Rivera scored 29 of Oneonta's 37 points off the bench.
 
Oneonta had a huge 46-22 advantage in the paint.  Oneonta shot just under 50 percent (34-69) for the game including 60 percent (19-32) in the second half.
 
What's next
Oneonta will be on the road this weekend with back-to-back conference games against Brockport and SUNY Geneseo.