ONEONTA, N.Y. - Senior Daniel Derice (Tampa, FL/Wesley Chapel) scored a team-high 22 points to help the Oneonta men's basketball team to an 82-75 win over a hot-shooting Fredonia squad. The Blue Devils shot 50.0 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from three-point range, but the physical Red Dragons held on for the win. Oneonta moves to 12-6 and 8-3 in the SUNYAC, while Fredonia falls to 1-18 and 1-11 in the SUNYAC.

"Give Fredonia a lot of credit. They played really well and were really hard to guard tonight," stated head coach Cameron Conover. "Our guys were trying all night and when things looked bleak, they stayed tought and responded the way good teams do."

After winning the tip-off, senior Joseph Bull (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy) tossed an alley-opp to senior Michael Ortale Jr. (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) for an opening dunk. Bull scored the following two Red Dragons' baskets to put Oneonta ahead 6-4. Both sides traded baskets and Fredonia's AJ Knight hit a jumper at 16:24 to tie 10-10. Derice netted six straight points to give the Red Dragons a 16-12 lead.

The Blue Devils stayed within striking distance, and an Aaron Collins triple followed a dunk from Elian Dominquez at 12:03 to put Fredonia ahead by three. Neither side could pull away until Fredonia's Deandre Hayes sank a three-pointer to spur a 7-0 sun to take their largest lead of the half. Derice scored the following six Oneonta points, but the Blue Devils remained ahead. A pair of Frankie Williams (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou) free throws in the final seconds cut the lead to 36-32 at the half. 

The Blue Devils opened the second half on a 7-2 run, and then Collins drained a trey at 17:10 to give Fredonia a double-digit lead at 46-36. Williams netted a layup at 16:50 to cut into the lead, and then freshman Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) converted an and-one to make it 46-41. 

Fredonia rattled off three triples in their following three possession to go up by eight, and then another triple from Collins at 12:07 pushed the lead to 62-52. 

Oneonta used a 6-0 run to cut the lead to four, but the Blue Devils' three-pointers continued to fall as they took a 13-point lead with eight minutes remaining. The Red Dragons picked up the intensity by responding with a 12-0 span of four points from Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) and triples by Williams and Ortale. 

After Knight scored a layup at 2:27, the Blue Devils led 75-72. That proved to be the final Fredonia basket as Oneonta closed out the game on a 10-0 run to pick up the victory. 

"I am proud of the heart our guys showed tonight," concluded Conover. "It is hard to win college basketball games and we will have to be ready for Buffalo State tomorrow." 

Derice shot 11-of-17 from the field and finished with eight rebounds and two steals. Ortale scored 19 points with eight boards, six assists, and one block. Williams came off the bench and accounted for 19 points, six boards, and three assists.

Collins led all scored with 25 points and was 5-of-7 from the three-point range. Knight finished with 15 points. 

Oneonta hosts Buffalo State on Sat. Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. in Dewar Arena.