ONEONTA, N.Y. - After trailing 41-39 at halftime, the Oneonta men's basketball team fell to Brockport's second-half surge 94-81 on Saturday afternoon in Dewar Arena. The Red Dragons fall to 10-11 and 7-7 in the SUNYAC, while the Golden Eagles move to 15-6 and 11-4 in the conference.

"It was a tough loss tonight. We played well in spurts, but we could not sustain the consistent effort necessary to beat a good team like Brockport," said head coach Cameron Conover. "We will return to work Monday before hitting the road on Tuesday."

Oneonta took an 8-2 lead to start the game, and back-to-back scores from sophomore Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) gave the Red Dragons a five-point advantage. Threes from freshman Daniel Penubothula (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream Central) and junior PJ Laidley (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Pembroke Pines Charter) pushed Oneonta ahead by eight, and a 6-0 run gave the Red Dragons a double-digit lead at 28-17. 

A fast break dunk and triple from Brockport's Zachary Rice cut the lead to six points. The Golden Eagles pulled within two following a three-pointer by Danny Ashley at 5:25. Sophomore Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) scored three points before Brockport rattled off a 10-0 run to take the lead at 37-32. Knox scored an inside jumper with 36 seconds to keep it a two-point game before Alex Tavarez converted a layup. Castillo hit free throws to make it 41-39 at the break. 

Junior Xavier Hill (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) tied the game on the second half's opening possession, and then layups from junior Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) and Knox retook the lead for Oneonta. Hill sank a three at 17:07 to push the Red Dragons up 50-43. 

Brockport responded with an 11-0 span to go ahead 54-50, and they led for the remainder of the half. A triple from Caquan Wester gave the Golden Eagles a nine-point lead, and Brockport eventually led by double digits. 

Oneonta struggled to find momentum until sophomore Tyler Harts (Queens, NY/Sewanaka) hit a three-pointer at 5:00 to cut the lead to 76-70. The Red Dragons kept the score within single digits until the final minute and a half when Tavarez converted an and-one score to make it 87-76. Hill hit a final three with 45 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 91-81, but the deficit was too much to overcome. 

Hill finished with a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Castillo added 18 points and six boards. Knox finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. 

Brockport had five players in double digits, with Rice scoring 25 points off the bench with eight rebounds. Tony Arnold added 18 points, while Tavarex finished with 17. Wester had 12, and Ashley scored 11. 

Oneonta next travels to face Fredonia on Tue. Feb. 6 at 4 p.m.