ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team hosted Hamilton on day one of the Oneonta and Hartwick Classic and fell to the Continentals, 57-48, Friday evening. Senior Molly Stephens (LaGrange, NY/Arlington) led the team with 15 points and sophomore Emma Schwarzbeck (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior High School) finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. The Red Dragons moved to 1-2 on the season while the Continentals improved to 3-0.

Sophomore Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) nailed a triple for the first basket of the game then Hamilton went on a 10-2 run to go up five at 4:09. Oneonta closed out the quarter with a layup from senior Jenna Harclerode (Sayville, NY/Sayville) and a Schwarzbeck three-pointer, while Maria Mercado Rengel split a pair at the line for Hamilton to go into the second quarter up 11-10.  

Stephens recorded the first seven points for the Red Dragons in the second and put them ahead 17-13, off a 7-2 run, with 7:42 to play in the half. The Continentals regained the lead with an 8-0 stretch to go up 21-17 before Schwarzbeck laid it in at 4:37 to make it a two-point game. After junior Nadia Brown (Troy, NY/Troy) traded free throws with Hamilton's Taylor Lambo, the Continental's Kendall Harris made a three-pointer to go ahead 26-21 at halftime.    

Emily Hall put Hamilton up seven before Oneonta went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 30 at 5:27. Stephens scored six of the points while Schwarzbeck scored a layup and Brown made one at the line. The Continentals answered with another 8-0 run but a layup by Harclerode and a corner three from junior Alana Batson (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) pulled the Red Dragons within three, 40-37, heading into the fourth.  

Following a layup from Hall to start the fourth, Schwarzbeck knocked down a triple to bring Oneonta within two with 8:06 to play, however the Red Dragons were unable to get any closer. Tessa Cole and Harris made back-to-back threes to regain the eight-point lead and, after Brown hit a pair at the line for Oneonta, Harris hit another three-pointer to put the Continentals up 51-42 with 5:09 to go. Batson nailed another three to cut the Red Dragons deficit to six, but Lambo and Piper Seamon answered back for a 55-45 advantage with 1:46 to play and Hamilton was able to run out the clock.

Oneonta shot 23.2 percent from the field and held a 43-35 rebounding advantage over Hamilton who shot 40.4 percent from the field. Harclerode and freshman Megan Desrats (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) led the field on the glass with eight rebounds apiece.  

The Red Dragons are back in action Saturday for the final day of the Oneonta & Hartwick Classic against Mount Saint Mary's College at 4 pm.  Read Full Article