ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball defense limited Fredonia to 21.0 percent shooting from the floor in their 51-37 SUNYAC win, Friday evening. Junior
Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) led the Red Dragons with 17 points and nine rebounds as the team improved to 7-10 on the season, 5-5 in the SUNYAC, and the Blue Devils dropped to 8-9 and 3-7 in conference.
Zuntag scored Oneonta's first three baskets before senior
Jenna Harclerode (Sayville, NY/Sayville) converted an and-one off a putback to put them up 9-4 at 2:34. Fredonia brought it back to a two-point game by the end of the first with a jumper from Caitlin Snyder and a free throw from Mary Culeton.
After the Blue Devils tied the game at nine in the second quarter, the Red Dragons sparked a 13-2 run. Six different players scored during the stretch as sophomore
Emma Schwarzbeck (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior High School) capped off the run with a pair of free throws to put Oneonta ahead 22-11 with 2:20 left in the half. Renee Park made a three-pointer for Fredonia in the closing minutes of the first half, while junior
Nadia Brown (Troy, NY/Troy) split a pair at the line to give the Red Dragons a 23-14 advantage at the break.
After going back and forth to start the third quarter, the Blue Devils cut the lead to 28-23 at 6:29 with a couple layups from Park and Culeton. Freshman
Megan Desrats (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) and senior
Molly Stephens (LaGrange, NY/Arlington) answered back with a couple shots inside then junior
Sophia Wakin (Delhi, NY/Delaware Academy) made back-to-back buckets for Oneonta to put them ahead, 36-26 at 3:32. Stephens and Harclerode traded baskets with a couple Blue Devils to end the third quarter with Oneonta ahead 40-30.
Brown drained a triple to start the fourth quarter and ignited a 9-2 run to put the Red Dragons up 49-32 with 4:48 to play. Fredonia used the free throw line to bring it to within 12 at 2:23, however they could not cut the deficit any closer and Zuntag ended the game with a basket down low.
Stephens and Brown each finished with eight points, Stephens added four assists, and Harclerode finished with seven points and nine rebounds.
Park led Fredonia with 10 points and Culeton ended with nine points and 10 rebounds.
Oneonta shot 31.8 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Blue Devils 50-43. The Red Dragons had 15 second chance points and 17 points off turnovers.
Oneonta's next game is Saturday, January 27, against Buffalo State at 2:00 pm in Dewar Arena.
