ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Oneonta men's basketball led 36-25 at halftime, but a solid second-half push from No. 4 Williams downed the Red Dragons 66-56 on Tuesday evening. Oneonta moves to 6-2 overall, while Williams goes to 8-0.  

"Tonight was a tale of two halves. W played great defense in the first half and held them to 25 points," said head coach Camerona Conover. "I think we got worn down in the second half and we did not have the same desire on the defensive end."

The Red Dragons looked in control in the first half, using physical play to disrupt the Ephs' offense. A fastbreak layup by Michael Ortale Jr. (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) gave Oneonta an 8-3, and then Joseph Bull (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy) scored twice inside to push the lead to six. Williams responded with a 10-0 run to take a 15-12 lead, but an Ortale triple and free throw put the Red Dragons up again. 

After some back-and-forth baskets, senior Daniel Derice (Tampa, FL/Wesley Chapel) drained a three-pointer to take a two-point lead. Following that score, Tyler Harts (Queens, NY/Sewanaka) blocked two consecutive Alex Lee shots, and the Red Dragons followed with a 6-0 run. Derice sank another trey at 3:24 to put Oneonta ahead 28-21. Oneonta pushed the lead to 10 when Frankie Williams (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou) dished off to Dylan Kraft to make it 33-23. Oneonta capped off the strong half when Williams hit a buzzer-beat three from the top of the arc to hold the double-digit lead at halftime. 

The second half proved different, with the Ephs' Declan Porter hitting a triple at 19:43. Nate Karren followed with an inside layup to cut the game to six points. Scores from Ortale and Bull gave Oneonta a ten-point cushion, but Williams answered with a 6-1 span. Frankie Williams (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou) scored two quick baskets, but it was all Ephs after that. Karren netted three points on an and-one, and Williams rolled by scoring 14 consecutive points to take a 51-45 lead at 7:16. Williams' Spencer Spivy hit a three to make it 56-47, and then neither side could score for the following four minutes. 

Oneonta struggled to shoot down the stretch and was forced to follow the Ephs. With the game at 66-53, Williams hit one final trey to close out. 

"We know we can play better and we will learn from this game and improve," finished Conover.

Bull led the Red Dragons with 21 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Ortale added 13 points. Williams netted a season-high nine points.

Cole Prowitt-Smith led the Ephs with 21 points, while Porter and Karren each had 13. Karren also grabbed eight rebounds. 

The Red Dragons hit the road next and face SUNYAC foe Buffalo State on Fri. Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.