A Quick Look
Senior Daniel Derice (Tampa, FL/Wesley Chapel) and sophomore Michael Ortale Jr. (Bethlehem, NY/Bethlehem Central) each recorded a double-double tonight to lead the SUNY Oneonta men's basketball team to a 79-62 victory over SUNY Cobleskill in the semifinals of the Quality Inn Tipoff tournament.
 
"A win is a win, but we certainly have work to do," said Head Coach Cameron Conover. "I am confident we will play better tomorrow, as we will have to as Sage will be ready. We had another great crowd, and our team is appreciative of all the support from the campus and local community, and we hope they will come back tomorrow for the championship game."
 
The Inside Story
In the opening three minutes of the contest, Oneonta (2-0) held an 8-2 lead before Cobleskill (0-2) ran off eight unanswered to grab a 10-8 advantage. The Red Dragons then scored five straight that included a three-pointer from Derice. The Fighting Tigers countered to grab its final lead of the game at 16-15 on a basket by Juwan Malone. Oneonta took the lead for good with an 11-1 burst that was capped by a pair of free throws from senior Sean Nolan (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville).
 
Cobleskill cut Oneonta's lead back to five points with just over three minutes to play in the first half, but the Red Dragons held a 37-30 lead at the break.
 
Oneonta scored the first 11 points of the second half and never looked back. The Red Dragons led by as many as 29 points in the second half, as they won the game going away.
 
Just the Stats
Ortale Jr. finished the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Derice scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Ortale also added seven assists a pair of steals and two blocks.
 
Malone was the lone Fighting Tiger in double figures with 18 points.
 
Oneonta collected 72 rebounds including a program record 32 off the offensive glass. The 72 rebounds are the third most all-time for a single game.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will face Sage College tomorrow in the championship game of the tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 3pm.