A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team traveled to New Paltz tonight for its SUNYAC opener and came up on the short side of a 68-53 score.  With the loss, the Red Dragons fall to 2-5 overall while New Paltz moves to 5-1 overall.
 
The Inside Story
The two squads battled closely during the first quarter with New Paltz grabbing a slim 21-17 advantage heading into the second quarter.  Oneonta held the lead twice during the quarter, 4-3 and 10-8, before a 9-0 run by the Hawks gave them the lead for good.  Sophomore Jenna Harclerode (Sayville/Sayville) and freshman Nadia Brown (Troy/Troy) combined for nine points in the opening quarter for Oneonta.
 
A 10-2 burst to open the second quarter by New Paltz gave them its first double digit lead of the game.  The Hawks maintained its lead between nine and 13 points for the quarter grabbing a 40-28 lead at the break.
 
In the third quarter, New Paltz continued to build its lead holding a 56-41 advantage entering the fourth quarter.  A basket by Harclerode at 4:16 of the fourth quarter pulled Oneonta to within eight points at 61-53.  Unfortunately, this would be the last points of the game for the Red Dragons.
 
Just the Stats
The biggest differences in the game were in second chance points, points off turnovers and bench points all in the favor of New Paltz.  The Hawks grabbed 43 rebounds, 25 of which were on the offensive end, which the Hawks converted into 32 second chance points.  Both squads committed over 20 turnovers each, but the Hawks were able to turn their extra opportunities into 28 points.
 
Oneonta did have three players score in double figures led by Harclerode's 11 points.  Brown finished the game with 10 points as did freshman Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island/Notre Dame Academy).  Harclerode also grabbed a team high nine boards to go with a pair of blocks and two steals.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will continue to be on the road this weekend when it travels to the North Country for games versus Plattsburgh and Potsdam.