ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team defeated SUNY Potsdam, 53-45, in conference play, Saturday afternoon. The Red Dragons had four of their starters score double digits as junior
Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) led the team with 12 points and eight rebounds. Oneonta has won four of their last five games and improved to 6-9 overall, 4-4 in the SUNYAC, and the Bears dropped to 6-9 and 2-7 in conference play.
Zuntag received a pass near the rim from senior
Molly Stephens (LaGrange, NY/Arlington) for the game's first basket, then scored a mid-range jumper off a pass from sophomore
Emma Schwarzbeck (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior High School) to make it 8-4 at 3:39. Schwarzbeck found junior
Molly Coyne (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) at the elbow on next possession and the Red Dragons went into the second with a 10-9 edge.
Barbara Bruno gave the Bears the lead on the first play of the second quarter, but the Red Dragons answered with a 13-0 run. Senior
Jenna Harclerode (Sayville, NY/Sayville) recorded six of the points during the run and capped it off with a jumper from the wing to give Oneonta a 23-11 lead at 6:55. Barbara scored four of the last nine points of the half and cut Oneonta's lead to five, 24-19.
The Red Dragons managed to hold a multiple-possession lead throughout the second half. Barbara made it 30-26 at 4:28, however Stephens, Schwarzbeck, and Coyne recorded six unanswered to put them ahead 10 at 1:49. Potsdam hit a couple three-pointers before the end of the quarter and junior
Sophia Wakin (Delhi, NY/Delaware Academy) scored inside in the closing seconds to give Oneonta a 40-34 advantage.
Oneonta continued to spread the ball around on offense while Potsdam looked to Jakia Howard. After Howard made a layup to pull the Bears within seven with 3:54 to play, Harclerode drilled a corner three and Zuntag hit jump shot in the opposite corner at 2:47 to put the game out of Potsdam's reach.
Four of the Red Dragons five starters scored in double digits. Harclerode finished the day with 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Schwarzbeck ended with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Stephens had 10 points and four rebounds, and Coyne tallied six points and three steals.
Howard led the Bears with 15 points and eight rebounds. Barbara and Jenna Cotter each recorded 10 points.
Oneonta shot 33.3 percent from the field and had a 45-36 rebounding advantage. Potsdam shot 31.5 percent from the floor.
The Red Dragons are back in action Tuesday for a SUNYAC game on the road against Oswego State at 5:30 pm.
