SUNY Oneonta Athletics

ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Oneonta men's basketball team opened the first day of the Michael A. Freilich Tip-Off Classic with an 84-79 loss to the visiting Yeshiva Maccabees. The Red Dragons (1-1) took a 45-37 halftime lead but could not hold throughout the second half. 

Sophomore Javen Flowers-Smith (Atlanta, GA/Pembroke Pines Charter) scored 13 seconds in, and then a steal from senior Graham Wooden (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) led to another Flowers-Smith score. Junior Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) followed with an inside basket to push the lead to 6-0. 

Four straight points from junior Pete Laidley gave Oneonta a six-point lead, but a three-pointer from Yeshiva's Or Sundjyvsky cut the lead to 10-7. Wooden answered with a triple at 15:55, then two layups by sophomore Tyler Harts (Queens, NY/Sewanaka) put Oneonta ahead 17-9. 

The Maccabees (1-1) remained within striking distance following a Max Zakheim layup at 13:09. The Red Dragons responded with an 8-0 run with freshman Elijah Morris (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Vernon) converting an and-one to make it 25-14. Oneonta slowly built its lead to 13 when junior Xavier Hill (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) found freshman Daniel Penubothula (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream Central) inside the paint. Yeshiva chipped away, but another Penubothula score followed by a Flowers-Smith trey gave the Red Dragons a 41-29 cushion. 

Brown picked up Penubothula for a commanding two-handed dunk at 1:54, and then sophomore Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) scored a layup to make it 45-35. Zakheim added one more basket before the half to make it an eight-point game. 

Wooden opened the second half with a three-pointer and layup to make it 50-39. Yeshiva answered with a 9-0 to cut the lead to single digits. Flowers-Smith drained a three-pointer at 15:16, and another Wooden layup brought the Red Dragons ahead by seven. 

Yeshiva's Dothan Bardichev netted two straight layups to bring the game to 59-57. After Castillo converted a pair of free throws, a 3-0 Maccabees' run led to the first time of the night at 61-61. Oneonta scored five unanswered points to regain the lead at 66-61.

Yeshiva held in and traded baskets with Oneonta until Wooden pushed the Red Dragons up 70-67 following a layup at 7:47. A 7-0 Yeshiva run followed as the Maccabees led for the remainder of the game. Brown scored inside at 2:29 to make it 79-76, and a Harts' layup brought the score within one. Yeshiva's Zavi Samet scored on the fast break at 1:16 to make it 81-78. 

Oneonta came within two points after Harts split a pair of free throws with under 30 seconds to play. The Red Dragons had to foul, and the Maccabees closed out shooting 3-for-4 on their free throws.

Wooden led the team with 14 points and four assists. He added two rebounds and a steal. Flowers-Smith scored 13 points with eight boards and three assists. Castillo added 13 points, while Penubothula had 12 points, six rebounds, and a block. Harts recorded eight points and eight rebounds. 

Yeshiva had four players score in double digits, with Sundjvsky tallying 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Zakheim scored 19 points with eight boards, and Samet had 12 points and seven rebounds. Bardichev had 12 points.

Oneonta looks to bounce back when they play No. 3 John Carroll on Sun. Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. in Dewar Arena. Yeshiva will play Geneseo at 1 p.m. for the second day of the Michael A. Freilich Classic.