A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team was defeated today by rival SUNY Cortland on the road 77-65.  The loss for Oneonta drops them to 10-9 overall and 7-5 in the SUNYAC while Cortland remains atop the conference at 10-0 and 14-2 overall.
 
The Inside Story
Both squads didn't miss much during the opening first half of play that ended with the hosts holding a 41-32 lead.  Oneonta had the better shooting half hitting 14-of-25 shots while Cortland made 15-of-31 overall including 7-of-13 from behind the arc.
 
Freshman Nadia Brown (Troy/Troy) paced the Oneonta offense early leading them to an early 9-2 lead in the first quarter.  Oneonta held the lead until a three-pointer by Corinne Meidreich with six seconds left in the quarter gave the hosts a slim 16-15 lead heading to the second quarter.
 
A jumper by Brown on Oneonta's initial possession of the second quarter put them ahead momentarily before Shannon McGuire made a three-pointer to put Cortland back in front for good.  A 9-2 run in the middle of the quarter by Cortland gave them some breathing room enroute to the nine-point halftime lead.
 
Oneonta put together an 8-3 run in the opening five minutes of the third quarter to pull within four points at 44-40.  A free throw by senior Megan Palmatier (Bainbridge/Bainbridge-Guilford) inched Oneonta one-point closer at the 3:47 mark but a 10-3 burst by Cortland pushed its lead back to 10 points entering the fourth quarter.
 
Oneonta made one final push in the fourth quarter and got as close as seven points on a Kennedy Amo jumper, but unfortunately that would be the last points of the game for the visitors.
 
Just the Stats
Brown led all scorers in the game with a season high 21 points.  She had another perfect day from the line going 6-for-6.  Sophomore Molly Stephens (LaGrange/Arlington) added 16 points for Oneonta and junior Olivia Dobrovosky (Skaneateles/Skaneateles) pulled down a game high 14 rebounds.
 
The biggest advantage Oneonta had in the game was in the paint where they scored 30 points.  Cortland's advantage came from its reserves, as they contributed 29 points.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will not be in action again until next weekend when they journey to Western New York to face Fredonia and Buffalo State.