GENESEO, N.Y. - A pair of last-minute free throws from junior Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) tied the game 66-66 to force overtime. However, the Oneonta men's basketball team fell 78-74 to Geneseo on Saturday afternoon. The Red Dragons fall to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the SUNYAC, while the Knights move to 4-3 and 1-1 in the conference. 

"I am proud of our team's effort tonight," said head coach Cameron Conover. "Obviously, we are not happy with the result, but our guys fought to the end and unfortunately came up short." 

Geneseo went up 17-10 midway through the first half to force an Oneonta timeout. Sophomore Tyler Harts (Queens, NY/Sewanaka) responded with a triple at 11:19, cutting the lead to four points. The Knights responded with an 8-0 run before freshman Brendan Armour (Rockaway Point, NY/St. Edmund Prep) scored an inside jumper to make it 25-15. Sophomore Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) followed up with a mid-range jumper, and then a score from senior Graham Wooden (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) made it 25-19. 

Scores from sophomore Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) and Castillo brought the game within three late in the first, but Geneseo's Justin Yearwood hit a jump shot to make it 29-24. Wooden hit a final three-pointer to cut the lead to 29-27 heading into the break.

The Knights opened the second half with a trey from Cole Kattan, but junior PJ Laidley (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pembroke Pines Charter) bounced back with a three at 19:28. Five unanswered points from Michael Gentile pushed the Geneseo lead to 39-31. Laidley dropped a fast break layup at 17:41, and then sophomore Javen Flowers-Smith (Atlanta, GA/Pembroke Pines Charter) hit a triple. Another Laidley layup made it a one-point contest at 16:18. Sophomore Tyler Harts (Queens, NY/Sewanaka) gave Oneonta its first lead following a jump shot at 14:35.

The game remained close for the remainder of the half, with neither side taking more than a six-point lead. Geneseo went up 64-58 at 2:21, but five straight points by Wooden cut the lead to 64-63. Geneseo hit some free throws to take a slight lead, but Brown sank a pair of free throws with under a minute remaining to force the game to overtime.

Harts scored to start overtime to give Oneonta a 68-66 lead. Kattan responded with a three-pointer at 3:53 to retake their lead for the rest of the game. Castillo scored four consecutive points to make it 76-74, but a final pair of free throws from Raymond Grabowski in the last second sealed the Knights' victory.

"It was a reminder of how hard you have to play in the SUNYAC. Every game will be a battle, and we will continue to work and get in better condition," finished Conover.

Laidley led the team with a season-high 19 points, eight rebounds, and 6-of-7 shooting. Castillo added 16 points and eight boards off the bench. Wooden had ten points and two assists, while Knox had a career-high ten rebounds.

Sebastian Pacheco led all scorers with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Gentile scored 13. 

Oneonta looks to bounce back with a non-conference game at Williams on Tue. Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.