ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Oneonta men's basketball team ran past Hartwick in the season-opening "Battle of the Hills" game on Tuesday evening in Lambros Arena. Three Red Dragons scored in double figures in the 88-52 win, with senior Joseph Bull (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy) flirting with a triple-double performance with 12 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. In total, 12 different players scored for Oneonta. 

"I thought our guys came out with great intensity and worked hard on the defensive end," said head coach Cameron Conover. "Hartwick is good, but I thought we wore them down."

Bull scored the opening basket at 18:11 before Hartwick's Kevin Felasco sank a pair of three to give the Hawks a 6-4 lead. Sophomore Graham Wooden (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) responded with a triple to retake the lead at 16:31, but the Hawks used a 5-0 run to go up by four. 

Momentum began to swing after senior Daniel Derice (Tampa, FL/Wesley Chapel) stole the ball from Nick Eiler to create a fastbreak layup for Wooden. Another steal by Bull led to an open jumper by first-year Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) to tie 13-13. Hartwick turned the ball over the following possession, and first-year Tyler Harts (Queens, NY/Sewanaka) capped off a 7-0 run with an and-one to put Oneonta up 16-13. The Red Dragons never gave up the lead afterward, and two dunks from Derice in a 12-0 span gave Oneonta its largest lead at 21 points. The Hawks attempted to chip away at the lead, and Hartwick's Jeremiah Boateng broke through two Oneonta defenders for the two-handed dunk at 1:21 to make it 42-28. Sophomore Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) netted the final layup of the half to make it a 16-point game at the break. 

Oneonta continued to cruise in the second half, opening with a third Derice dunk to start an 8-0 run before Cooper Francis broke the streak with a three-pointer. The Red Dragons led by 20 or more points, and sophomore Ryan Teaney (Schenectady, NY/Guilderland) hit a trey to make it 66-41 with under ten minutes to play. Two consecutive layups from Wooden and a basket by junior Khallyn La Fond (Brooklyn, NY/Knox School) pushed the lead to 31 at 4:57. 

In the final minutes, first-year Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) netted his first collegiate points on an inside layup at 2:26. Sophomore Dylan Craft (Hyde Park, NY/Franklin D. Roosevelt) scored the final four Oneonta points to finish the night. 

The Red Dragons shot 56.1 percent from the field while holding the Hawks to 31.5 percent. Oneonta was dominant on the boards and outrebounded Hartwick 45-14.

Wooden (7-of-11) and Derice (7-of-10) led Oneonta with 17 points each. Derice also had eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Bull was named the Michael Freilich MVP following the game for his well-rounded performance of 12 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.

Additionally, junior Michale Ortale Jr. added nine points, while Craft finished with eight. 

"Every game is special, but this one had a little extra meaning to us as we knew that one player was going to be named the first-ever Michael Freilich MVP, and our guys were determined to make sure it was someone from our team," stated Conover. "It was great to see Joe back out on the court having fun. It was a good night, but we will get back to work tomorrow."

Oneonta next hosts the Michael A. Freilich Tournament beginning on Fri. Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. The first game features Cobleskill and Drew, and the Red Dragons play Pratt Institute at 7 p.m. in Dewar Arena.