GENESEO, N.Y. - The Oneonta men's basketball team outscored Geneseo 42-28 in the second half to pick up a 78-62 win on Friday evening. The Red Dragons now move to 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the SUNYAC, while the Knights fall to 5-8 overall and 2-4 in the conference.
"Tonight was a really good win. Geneseo is a tough team and they came out hot," said head coach Cameron Conover. "I thought we responded well and our guys did a good job of making some key defensive adjustments. We are happy with the win and now look forward to tomorrow's game."
The Red Dragons got off to a slow start, trailing 10-2 in the first half following a basket by Geneseo's Cole Kattan at 16:10. Oneonta cut the lead to five after senior Michael Ortale Jr. (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) picked up sophomore Graham Wooden (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) for an open triple the next possession. The Knights responded with a quick 5-0 run before Ortale converted an inside layup at 13:29. Wooden netted a layup, and then a three-pointer from sophomore Ryan Teaney (Schenectady, NY/Guilderland) made it 17-12.
Geneseo continued to hold a single-digit lead, but three straight points by senior Joseph Bull (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy) made it a four-point game. After freshman Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) grabbed an offensive board at 8:40, he put back the shot to begin a 9-0 run that gave Oneonta its first lead of the night at 26-22. After the teams traded baskets, the Knights' Raymond Grabowski drained a triple to tie 28-28 with 3:18 remaining. Freshman Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) answered with a trey to give Oneonta a three-point lead. Geneseo fought back to go ahead 34-33 with 20 seconds left, but sophomore Tyler Harts (Queens, NY/Sewanaka) hit a buzzer-beater three-pointer to make it 36-34 at the break.
Wooden scored the opening basket in the second half, and then Bull rattled off seven consecutive points with a three to make it 45-34 at 14:20. Wooden scored a jumper, and another Bull three-pointer pushed the Red Dragons' lead to 14. Geneseo's Michael Gentile made a three at 12:25, but an 8-0 Oneonta run maintained the double-digit lead to force a Knights' timeout at 10:48.
Teaney and Harts put Oneonta up by 21 points following a pair of layups, and the Red Dragons' lead stayed up in double digits for the remainder of the game. Castillo picked up another basket in the final minute, and freshman Ahmed Toure (Bronx, NY/All Hallows) scored inside to close the night.
Bull earned his ninth double-double of the season with a game-high 22 points and 15 rebounds. He also led Oneonta with seven assists and shot 9-of-16 from the field. Wooden finished with 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Teaney and Harts scored career highs, with Teaney having 12 points and Harts adding 10.
The Red Dragons shot .508 from the field and outrebounded the Knights 44-26.
Kattan led Geneseo with 17 points and four boards, while Sebastian Pacheco had 10 points and three assists.
Oneonta returns to play Brockport on Sat. Jan. 14 at 4 p.m.
