A Quick Look
A pair of dagger three-pointers on successive possessions by juniors Michael Ortale Jr. (Bethlehem, NY/Bethlehem Central) and Dylan Trombley (Moriah, NY/Moriah) put the finishing touches on an 86-72 victory for the SUNY Oneonta men's basketball team versus rival Cortland tonight in SUNYAC men's action.  The win for Oneonta raised its overall record to 15-7 and 11-4 in conference play while Cortland falls to 10-11 overall and 6-8 in the SUNYAC.
 
"I am proud of our effort tonight," said Head Coach Cameron Conover.  "Cortland is hard to guard, and they all shoot the ball so well from the three-point line, and our guys did a great job of limiting their attempts.  Offensively, we did a great job of running offense and moving the ball.  Two turnovers in a forty-minute college game is amazing, and has me wondering if that is a school record.  The guys are buying in and doing a great job of executing what the coaching staff has been emphasizing.  We will have our hands full tomorrow and I know our guys will be excited for the opportunity."

Conover continued, ""What a great crowd tonight!  Our fans were awesome and there was a buzz in the arena.  One side was completely packed and the place got super loud. It was a big time atmosphere."
 
The Inside Story
With the score 77-72, Oneonta turned up the defense and held the visitors to no points over the final 3:21.  The threes by Ortale and Trombley came after an old fashioned three-point play by sophomore Frankie Williams (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou) and gave Oneonta its final margin of victory.
 
Oneonta gained its largest lead of 19 points at 59-40 just about seven minutes into the second half.  Senior Daniel Derice (Tampa, FL/Wesley Chapel) led the offensive surge with 10 points.  Derice finished the game with 17 points.
 
Joining Derice in double figures was Trombley who scored a team high 22 points.  Senior Sean Nolan (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) contributed 17 points, Ortale Jr. posted 16 points and Williams added 11 points.
 
Oneonta trailed 15-9 midway through the opening half before slowly seizing the momentum.  Oneonta started with a 12-2 run over a three-minute span to grab a 21-17 lead.  The hosts followed up with another 14-7 spurt over the next five minutes to push its lead to double-digits with just over two minutes remaining.  A three-pointer to end the half by Cortland cut Oneonta's lead back to single digits at 39-31 heading into the break.
 
Just the Stats
Oneonta grabbed 32 rebounds including 11 offensive boards.  They shot 53 percent from the floor and took care of the ball committing only two turnovers.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will play host to Oswego tomorrow afternoon beginning at 4pm.