A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta men's basketball team got contributions from everyone that played tonight in defeating New Paltz 71-54 in SUNYAC action at home.  The win for the Red Dragons was its third straight and raises its overall record to 9-6 and 5-3 in the SUNYAC while the Hawks fall to 8-6 overall and 5-3 in conference play.
 
"Tonight, was a great team effort," said Head Coach Cameron Conover.  "We played our best defense of the year, and it was satisfying to see the guys work together for 40 minutes.  Defense has been a huge point of emphasis during our practices, and our guys have been focused on improving on that end of the floor.  We are happy with the win, but we also know we have a lot of work to do, and we need to start taking better care of the basketball.  I know the guys are ready to get better tomorrow at practice."
 
The Inside Story
Oneonta pulled away late in the second half, turning up the defensive pressure to force the Hawks into turnovers.  The Red Dragons converted 17 New Paltz miscues into 26 points on the other end in tonight's game.
 
Leading 56-48 with just under five minutes left in the contest, Oneonta scored seven straight points to push its lead to 15 points with a little more than two minutes to go.  Sophomore Frankie Williams (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou) scored on back-to-back possessions including a layup after Oneonta forced a shot clock violation.  The two teams exchanged baskets and free throws over the final minutes for the final.
 
Oneonta jumped out to a 6-0 lead and never trailed in tonight's ballgame.  Sophomore Dylan Craft (Hyde Park, NY/Franklin D. Roosevelt) led the Red Dragons in the early going with six points in the paint.  Craft finished the game with 13 points to go with eight boards.
 
Leading by nine with just under 13 minutes to go in the opening half, the Hawks made a push with a quick 7-2 burst to cut its deficit to four points at the 10-minute mark.  The Red Dragons pushed its lead back to nine points with 4:03 left before New Paltz closed the half on a 10-2 run to trail by only a point at 32-31 heading into the break.
 
Just the Stats
Oneonta was big on the glass tonight holding a decided 49-32 rebound advantage.  The Red Dragons grabbed 17 offensive rebounds including five from Craft.  Both senior Sean Nolan (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) and junior Dylan Trombley (Moriah, NY/Moriah) grabbed 11 rebounds.  Nolan led all scorers in the game with a season high 18 points.  Williams was the third player in double figures with 14 points.  Williams and Trombley both recorded four steals.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will host Geneseo this Friday night beginning at 7:30pm.