ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team gained a double-digit lead late in the first quarter and did not ease up as they went on to defeat Buffalo State in conference play, 64-37, Saturday afternoon. Senior Meg Nardelli (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham) had the game-high 14 points, shooting 4-for-10 from deep, while the Red Dragons had 13 different scorers. The Red Dragons improved to 14-5 overall and 9-3 in the SUNYAC and the Bengals moved to 2-17 on the season and 1-11 in conference.  

Graduate student Clara Culeton (Oswego/Oswego) traded baskets with Brianna Smith to start the game before Oneonta began a 13-2 run to close out the quarter. During the stretch, sophomore Nadia Brown (Troy/Troy) knocked down a triple and converted a three-point play, sophomore Sophia Wakin (Delhi/Delaware Academy) made a layup, and senior Olivia Dobrovosky (Skaneateles/Skaneateles) split a pair at the line. After Adyia Jones made a layup for Buffalo State, sophomore Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island/Notre Dame Academy) closed out the quarter with a couple jumpers for a 15-4 advantage.

Nardelli started the second hitting two at the free throw line and followed Bengals Jadyn Jones' triple with a three of her own. The Red Dragons extended their lead to 20 with an and-one from Culeton and a couple layups from Dobrovosky with 4:15 left in the half. Tashawni Cornfield recorded the final seven points of the half for Buffalo State, however with a pair at the line from Brown, a Waykin jumper, and a three-pointer from junior Molly Stephens (LaGrange/Arlington), the Bengals still entered halftime down 20, 34-14.  

Cornfield continued to be the lone scorer for Buffalo State, making the team's first two baskets of the third quarter. The Bengals got to within 17 at 6:04 until the Red Dragons ended the period with an 8-2 run to head into the fourth up 47-24.  

Oneonta did not allow Buffalo State to get within 20 in the last 10 minutes. The Red Dragons finished the game with a layup from graduate student Megan Palmatier (Bainbridge/Bainbridge-Guilford), a pair of free throws from sophomore Kennady Amo (Cape Vincent/Thousand Islands), a three-pointer from senior Elizabeth Thompson (Morris/Morris), and a jumper from junior Caitlin Mullin (Rockaway Beach/Xaverian).

Brown finished with 10 points and led Oneonta with five rebounds and four assists. Culeton ended the day with eight points and three blocks.  

Cornfield led Buffalo State with 13 points and three blocks, while Adiya Jones had 10 points and six rebounds.  

The Red Dragons shot 39.6 percent from the field and brought in 29 rebounds and the Bengals finished shooting 33.3 percent from the floor and grabbed 26 rebounds.  

Oneonta is back in action on Friday at Cortland at 5:30 pm.  Read Full Article