ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Oneonta men's basketball team dropped a 76-66 decision to Cortland on Saturday afternoon. Oneonta falls to 8-6 and 3-4 in the SUNYAC, while Cortland moves to 7-8 and 6-2 in the conference.
"Hopefully, by now, we realize how hard it is to win conference games," said head coach Cameron Conover. "We have to improve in all aspects, and we have to be more consistent with our efforts and concentration."
Oneonta used a 6-0 run with four points from junior Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) to take an early 10-4 lead. The slight lead continued with sophomore Kobe Long (Rochester, NY/McQuaid) converting a fastbreak layup at 12:04 to make it 16-11. Cortland's Kendall Arcuri cut the lead to two points following a three-pointer, but a Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) inside jumper put Oneonta up by four.
Cortland cut the Oneonta lead to one following a triple from Isaiah Austin at 9:02, then tied 21-21 when Aaron Coston scored inside. A layup from senior Xavier Hill (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) allowed Oneonta to retake the lead, but Cortland responded with a 6-0 run to go ahead 28-25 with 5:18 remaining. Cortland held the lead until senior Zyeir Lawrence (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) knocked down a try with 27 seconds to tie 36-36. Coston netted a buzzer-beater layup to give Cortland a two-point lead heading into the break.
Cortland built an eight-point lead following an Austin three-pointer at 16:10. Oneonta attempted the comeback, and a 6-0 run with baskets from junior Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) and Castillo made it 52-50. Cortland countered any Oneonta run and eventually led 72-61 after an Austin layup. Hill hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds left to bring the score within single digits, but Cortland converted its final free throws.
Hill led Oneonta with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Castillo and Knox finished with 12 points each.
Arcuri finished with a game-high 26 points with eight rebounds. Austin had 17, while Joel Davis had 12 points and 11 boards.
Oneonta looks to bounce back when they host Oswego on Tues. Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
