CORTLAND, N.Y. -- The SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team came up short in their comeback at Cortland and fell 59-53, Tuesday evening. After trailing by 11 in the final quarter, Oneonta tied it at 49 with 2:30 to go, however Cortland rallied late for the win. Senior
Molly Stephens (LaGrange, NY/Arlington) scored the team-high 16 points and tallied five steals as Oneonta dropped to 8-11 overall, 6-6 in the SUNYAC, and Cortland improved to 14-5 overall and 10-2 in conference.
Stephens knocked down a triple from the wing then spun past her defender for a midrange jumper to put Oneonta ahead 5-2 at 7:23. Cortland gained the lead for a moment until freshman
Megan Desrats (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) made a layup through contact for an and-one, then junior
Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) scored inside to make it 10-8, at 3:27. After a split trip at the line from sophomore
Emma Schwarzbeck (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior High School) extended Oneonta's lead to three, Cortland went on a 13-2 run that put them ahead 21-13 with 8:04 to go in the half.
Zuntag stopped the run and cut the deficit to four at 7:07 with a couple shots down near the left post, however Cortland held the lead for the remainder of the half. Desrats found junior
Molly Coyne (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) cutting to the rim for a layup to make it 26-21 with a minute left, though Cortland scored a couple baskets to go up nine at the break.
Kaeli Mcanally gave Cortland a 10-point lead with a three-pointer early in the third quarter. Junior
Nadia Brown (Troy, NY/Troy) answered with a triple herself before Stephens drove to the paint to bring Oneonta within five, 33-28, at 8:07. After Stephens made another shot in the paint, Cortland converted several shots at the line to rebuild their lead to double digits, 44-33, heading into the fourth.
Oneonta cut the deficit to four after senior
Jenna Harclerode (Sayville, NY/Sayville) got fouled on a three-point play then forced two Cortland turnovers that led to a couple Zuntag baskets. Harclerode made it a one-point game, 48-47, after she scored on a putback and banked in a midrange jumper with 3:26 to play. Oneonta tied it at 49 with 2:30 to go after Schwarzbeck kicked the ball out to Zuntag for a jump shot just inside the top of the arc. Cortland answered back with a couple layups from Jackie Funk and Logan Streety to give themselves a 53-49 edge with 1:16 left. Stephens scored to make it a one-possession game, but Funk hit a pair at the line to regain the four-point advantage with 25 seconds left. Desrats kept Oneonta alive as she drove to the rim for the basket with 15 seconds remaining, however Cortland scored another two at the line then stole the ball in the closing seconds for a layup.
Zuntag finished with 14 points, while Harclerode recorded seven points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Streety led Cortland with 17 points, seven rebounds, and Funk ended with 13 points.
Cortland shot 42.6 percent from the floor and held a 41-30 rebounding advantage, while Oneonta shot 36.1 percent.
The Red Dragons are back in action Friday for a SUNYAC game against Geneseo at 5:30 pm in Dewar Arena.
