BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team overcame a late 10-point deficit to defeat Buffalo State on the road, 71-69, in SUNYAC play Friday evening. Junior
Nadia Brown (Troy, NY/Troy) secured the win for the Red Dragons with a pair of free throws with 0.4 seconds left, and senior
Molly Stephens (LaGrange, NY/Arlington) went 9-for-18 from the floor, 6-for-11 from three, to score a career-high 29 points. Senior
Jenna Harclerode (Sayville, NY/Sayville) finished 6-for-7 from the field and ended with 13 points and eight rebounds as the team improved to 4-8 overall, 2-3 in the conference, while the Bengals dropped to 3-9 on the season and 0-5 in the SUNYAC.
Harclerode scored the first basket of the game off an inbound pass from Brown before both teams went back-and-forth trading baskets. Sophomore
Lidia Boucher (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central High School) dished it to junior
Sophia Wakin (Delhi, NY/Delaware Academy) to give Oneonta a 7-6 lead then Buffalo State went on a 10-2 run to go up seven with 1:31 left in the first. Harclerode closed out the quarter with a putback layup and a three-pointer to pull the Red Dragons within two, 16-14.
Stephens and junior
Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) traded baskets with Emma Cohen to tie the game at 18 with 8:42 left in the half. The Bengals scored five unanswered and held the lead until Brown and Stephens hit back-to-back treys to go ahead 27-25 at 2:39. Following a Buffalo State three-pointer, Boucher found Harclerode in the paint for a 29-28 lead entering halftime.
Oneonta held onto the lead until Kirsten Merritt hit a three-pointer at 6:28 in the third to go up 39-36. Sophomore
Emma Schwarzbeck (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior High School) nailed a triple on the wing to tie the game, however Merritt and Cohen went on an 8-2 run to give the Bengals a six-point edge, 47-41. The lead was cut to four by the end of the third when Wakin hit a jumper off a pass from Brown.
Buffalo State built a double-digit lead at 7:24 and were up 10 with 1:47 left until Brown and Stephens sparked an Oneonta comeback. Brown hit a pair from the line before Stephens knocked down a triple after Schwarzbeck grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw, cutting the lead to 69-64 with 1:10 remaining. Brown converted another two at the line then Schwarzbeck stole the ball and Stephens drilled a corner three to knot the game at 69 with 25 seconds left. The Bengals missed their shot on the ensuing possession with six seconds left, Schwarzbeck got the rebound and threw a full court pass to Brown who got fouled as she was driving to the rim with 0.4 seconds left. Brown made both at the line to give the Red Dragons a 71-69 lead and the Bengals were unable to get a shot off for the tie.
Brown finished with 10 points and a season-high seven assists, Wakin had six points and seven rebounds, and Schwarzbeck had four steals.
Cohen led the Bengals with 21 points and Merritt had 18 points and five steals.
Oneonta shot 38.7 percent from the field and outrebounded Buffalo State 48-25 while the Bengals shot 44.2 percent from the floor.
Since the Red Dragons game against Fredonia on Saturday, January 13, has been postponed due to weather, their next game is against Cortland on Tuesday in Dewar Arena at 5:30 pm.
