A Quick Look
The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team erased a 15-point first quarter deficit to defeat Buffalo State 59-52 in the first round of the SUNYAC Tournament. The victory for the Red Dragons puts them in the semifinals this Friday night at top-seeded and rival Cortland beginning at 7:30pm.
The Inside Story
Oneonta (14-12) seized control of the contest with a 14-2 run to start the fourth quarter taking the lead for good at 46-45 when sophomore
Molly Stephens (LaGrange/Arlington) made a pair of free throws. The Red Dragons then scored eight unanswered points to grab its largest lead of the game. The run was capped by back-to-back baskets from junior
Olivia Dobrovosky (Skaneateles/Skaneateles).
Buffalo State (14-11) made one final push scoring six consecutive points to pull within 54-51 with 31 seconds remaining, but Oneonta closed the door hitting 5-of-8 free throws down the stretch.
The home team jumped out to a commanding 22-7 lead at the end of the opening quarter. After an opening basket by
Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island/Notre Dame Academy) put the Red Dragons ahead 2-0, the Bengals ran off 11 unanswered to take control. The hosts made 8-of-16 shots in the quarter including 4-of-6 from behind the arc.
Oneonta recovered a bit in the second quarter outscoring Buffalo State 16-12 to cut its deficit to 34-23 entering halftime. Freshman
Nadia Brown (Troy/Troy) scored seven consecutive points to lead a 9-2 spurt for the Red Dragons, as they pulled to within 29-19 at the 6:08 mark. The Bengals cooled off in the second quarter hitting only 5-of-18 overall and 2-of-9 from long range.
Oneonta continued its comeback in the third quarter cutting its deficit to three points at 43-40 entering the fourth quarter. Sophomore
Jenna Harclerode (Sayville/Sayville) grabbed an offensive rebound, her tenth of the game, and put it back with 32 seconds left in the third quarter to bring the Red Dragons to within three points.
Just the Stats
Brown led three players in double figures tonight with 17 points. Harclerode scored 11 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. Dobrovosky added 10 points to go with eight boards. Zuntag pulled down 12 rebounds.
Oneonta outrebounded Buffalo State 50-40 including 14-7 on the offensive glass. After shooting 17 percent in the opening quarter, the Red Dragons rebounded to finish at 35 percent including 6-of-10 in the final quarter while converting 7-of-10 free throws. Oneonta was dominant in the paint scoring 30 of its 59 points from in close.
What's Next
Oneonta is advancing to the semifinals for the 17
th time and first time since 2018. They have a 2-3 record all-time versus Cortland in the tournament including a 68-58 victory in their last meeting in 2016.
