A Quick Look
For the second straight game, the SUNY Oneonta men's basketball team battled from behind to collect a SUNYAC victory.  Today, the victim was the Potsdam Bears, as Oneonta defeated them 85-81 in overtime to raise its overall record to 6-2 and 2-1 in conference play.
 
"What a game," stated Head Coach Cameron Conover.  "I am so proud of these guys.  We found a way to win tonight.  Every player contributed and our bench was great.  Frankie set the tone by relentlessly attacking the rim.  Our guys stayed together and believed."
 
Conover continued, "We always tell our guys to stay ready because you never know when your opportunity is coming, and Ryan Teaney (Schenectady, NY/Guilderland) chaecked into the game with a minute left and hit the game-tying three."
 
The Inside Story
Oneonta trailed by 10 points at halftime and fell behind by as many as 16 points with just over 13 minutes to go in the contest.
 
Seven unanswered points by the Red Dragons over the next minute cut its deficit back to single digits, but Potsdam countered with back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead back to 15 points 62-47.
 
Oneonta still trailed by 15 points with just under eight minutes remaining before they began its climb back.  An old fashioned three-point play by senior Daniel Derice (Tampa, FL/Wesley Chapel) capped eight straight points for Oneonta, as they got to within seven points at 67-60 with 2:24 remaining.  A pair of free throws gave the Bears a 73-64 lead with 1:01 left on the clock.
 
The Red Dragons closed the game with three consecutive three-pointers by junior Michael Ortale Jr. (Bethlehem, NY/Bethlehem Central), graduate student Kameron Hickey (Atlanta, GA/Etowah) and freshman Ryan Teaney (Schenectady, NY/Guilderland) to tie the game at 73 apiece.  Neither team could take advantage of turnovers in the final 29 seconds sending the game to overtime.
 
In the extra session, Oneonta never trailed scoring 12 points and holding off Potsdam for the four-point win.  Ortale Jr. paced the Red Dragons in overtime with five points.
 
With the game tied at 17 apiece in the opening half of play, Potsdam put together a 15-2 run to seize control enroute to the 42-32 halftime lead.  The Bears shot 54 percent in the half including 7-of-11 from behind the arc.
 
Conover concluded by saying, "I think our guys finally understand what the SUNYAC is all about.  It's about toughness and fighting on every possession."
 
Just the Stats
Oneonta dominated in the paint today outscoring Potsdam 48-20.  They also forced 22 turnovers, which led to 27 points.  They also had a decided advantage on the break scoring 33 points to only 11 for the Bears.
 
Sophomore Frankie Williams (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou) led all scorers in the game with a collegiate high 31 points.  Derice finished the game with 19 points and Ortale Jr. posted 14 points.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will now prepare for an inter-divisional contest next Saturday versus Division I Binghamton University.  The game is set to tip-off at 2pm at Binghamton.