BAYAMÓN, PUERTO RICO – The Oneonta women's basketball team held off a late push and defeated Randolph College, 54-49, on the final day at the Puerto Rico Clasico, Friday afternoon. Senior
Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) led the game with a season-high 21 points and seven rebounds, and junior
Emma Schwarzbeck (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior High School) shot 5-for-11 from the floor and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Red Dragons improved to 5-5 on the season and the Wildcats dropped to 6-5 overall.
After Oneonta got out to an early 4-0 lead, Randolph closed out the first with a 12-4 run. Zuntag scored four of the team's points in the quarter while Renee Clines made a couple three-pointers and gave the Wildcats a 12-8 edge.
Senior
Molly Coyne (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) scored the first six points in the second quarter then Randolph's Kylie Stark answered with six straight points herself for an 18-14 Randolph advantage at 6:22. The Red Dragons cut the deficit to one entering halftime. Senior
Nadia Brown (Troy, NY/Troy) hit a jumper, Schwarzbeck converted a second chance bucket, and junior
Lidia Boucher (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central High School) knocked down a pair at the line to make it 21-20 at the break.
Oneonta overwhelmed Randolph in the third quarter and outscored them 18-9 to take a 38-30 lead. Zuntag powered the run and scored 10 points while Schwarzbeck recorded six points. Brown knocked down a jumper in the final minute of the quarter to give the Red Dragons the eight-point lead.
The senior guard started the fourth with a triple and gave Oneonta their largest lead of the game, 41-30, with 9:21 to play. The Wildcats pulled within four at 5:50, however sophomore
Carlie Young (Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville Central) drained a three-pointer to put the Red Dragons ahead 46-39. Randolph again made it a four-point game at 4:13, until Zuntag converted an and-one then knocked down a jumper to put Oneonta up 51-42. Brown and Zuntag used the free throw line to score the team's final points in the victory.
Brown finished with eight points, six rebounds and three assists. Coyne had six points and the team-high eight rebounds. Randolph had three players score in double figures. Teniyah Crenshaw-Patterson led with 14 points, while Cline and Stark had 12 points each.
The Red Dragons shot 36.4 percent from the floor, held a 38-29 rebounding margin, and had a 12-2 advantage in second chance points. The Wildcats shot 30.0 percent from the floor.
Oneonta is back in action on Tuesday, January 7, for a SUNYAC game at Canton starting at 5:30 pm.
