ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Oneonta women's basketball team fell to Fredonia in SUNYAC play, 57-51, Saturday afternoon in Dewar Arena. The contest was tied at 51 with a minute remaining then Fredonia closed out the game with a 6-0 stretch. Senior
Amanda Zuntag (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) finished with the game-high 15 points to go along with five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. The Red Dragons moved to 4-4 overall, 2-1 in conference play, and the Blue Devils improved to 4-3 on the season, 1-1 in the SUNYAC.
Midway through the first quarter, junior
Emma Schwarzbeck (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior High School) knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the arc then senior
Nadia Brown (Troy, NY/Troy) hit a triple from the wing to put Oneonta up two, 11-9, at 4:56. Fredonia answered back with a 9-0 run to close out the first quarter ahead 18-11.
An 8-2 run where senior
Sophia Wakin (Delhi, NY/Delaware Academy) scored a couple buckets while Zuntag and Brown each made a jump shot pulled the Red Dragons within one, however the Blue Devils scored a couple threes to go up 26-19 with 3:21 to go in the half. Fredonia kept it a multi-possession lead in the closing minutes of the quarter and went into the break up 33-25.
Oneonta used most of the third quarter for a 13-5 run and tied the game at 38 with 23 seconds left in the quarter. Zuntag led the stretch with six points, Schwarzbeck nailed a triple from the wing, senior
Molly Coyne (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee) knocked down a baseline jumper, and both Wakin and freshman
Nai Torres (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley) split a pair at the line. Before the quarter ended, Fredonia's Alexys Neckers made a layup to give themselves a 40-38 edge entering the fourth.
Fredonia built up a 51-45 lead for a moment until sophomore
Carlie Young (Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville Central) and Schwarzbeck drained a three-pointer to tie the game with 1:20 left. In the final minute of play, the Blue Devils held off the Red Dragons and scored the game's final six points.
Schwarzbeck finished with nine points, four assists and two steals, while Torres had seven points and a steal. Payton Gilbert led the Blue Devils with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Fredonia shot 37.7 percent from the field and held a 37-29 rebounding advantage, while Oneonta shot 32.2 percent from the floor.
The Red Dragons are back in action on Thursday, December 19, when they travel to Puerto Rico to face Bridgewater in the Puerto Rico Classico.
