BUFFALO, N.Y. - After trailing by four points at halftime, the Oneonta men's basketball team went on to outscore Buffalo State 40-25 in the second half to secure a 75-64 win on Friday evening. The Red Dragons now move to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the SUNYAC. With the loss, the Bengals now fall to 1-8 and 0-4 in the conference.
"I am pleased with our effort in the second half. We challenged the guys at halftime, and they responded well and made the plays necessary to win the game," said head coach Cameron Conover. "We need to rest tonight and prepare for another tough game tomorrow."
After a slow start, sophomores Graham Wooden (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) and Frankie Williams (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou) hit back-to-back threes to give the Red Dragons a 6-1 lead at 18:12. Buffalo State followed up with a pair of mid-range jumpers from Argjend Imeri and Mally Peaker. Senior Joseph Bull (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy) answered with a triple at 17:02 as Oneonta took a 9-5 lead.
The Bengals then used a 15-0 run capped off with a three-pointer from Jeremiah Miller at 12:09 to take a 20-11 lead. Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) broke the five-minute Oneonta scoring drought by converting a pair of free throws. Christian Smallhorne hit a triple at 9:44 to extend Buffalo State's lead to 23-13. Jumpers from Daniel Derice (Tampa, FL/Wesley Chapel) and Ryan Teaney (Schenectady, NY/Guilderland) cut the lead to single digits, and then scores from Wooden and Tyler Harts (Queens, NY/Sewanaka) made it a four-point game.
A Wooden steal led to two consecutive Michael Ortale baskets as the Red Dragons tied 25-25 with seven minutes in the half. The Bengals regained the momentum, using a 10-0 span to take a 37-26 lead at 2:37. The Red Dragons chipped away a few points in the final minutes, and Ortale drained a buzzer-beater three to keep it a four-point contest at the break.
Derice got the Red Dragons started in the first, tipping in a missed shot attempt at 19:04. Smallhorne responded with a jump shot, but Oneonta rattled off a 15-0, with six points coming from Wooden to go up by 11. The Bengals' Matt Parkinson hit a triple to make it 52-44. Bull scored an inside basket, and Ortale sank another three-pointer to push the lead to 57-44.
Oneonta maintained a double-digit cushion and led by as much as 17 after Ortale scored on the fastbreak. Buffalo was not out yet and went on an 8-0 run with Robert Richards hitting a trey at 1:40 to cut the score to 70-61. The Red Dragons' scored their following four points off free throws before Parkinson hit a three. A final free throw by Bull sealed the victory.
Wooden finished with a career-high 19 points and four steals, with Bull tallying a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Ortale added 14 points, eight rebounds, and a block. Derice had a well-rounded night with eight points, 13 rebounds, and three steals.
Richards led the Bengals behind 16 points and five rebounds, while Imeri scored 12.
Oneonta faces Fredonia tomorrow at 4 p.m.
