ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Oneonta women's basketball team was tripped up in overtime in their Battle of the Hills home opener against city-rival Hartwick, 65-61, Wednesday evening in Dewar Arena. After trailing by double-digits in the first quarter, Oneonta gained control of the lead throughout the second and third, however Hartwick used the fourth quarter to force overtime and take the game.  

Freshman Kayla Beaudoin (Brunswick, N.Y./Tamarac) led the game with 17 points, including three three-pointers, along with five rebounds and three steals, while freshman Addy Eckert (Bloomville, N.Y./South Kortright) finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double. The result moved the Red Dragons to 1-1 on the season and the Hawks to 1-0.

Hartwick got out to an early eight-point advantage, until Beaudoin scored a pair at the line then knocked down a triple to cut the deficit to 10-7 at 5:57. The Hawks then went on an 11-3 run, with five different players scoring a basket, to end the quarter and head into the second with a 21-10 lead.

The Red Dragons got the offense rolling to start the second quarter with a 13-1 stretch to go up 23-22 with 4:07 left in the half. Beaudoin and Young each drained a three and combined for three free throws, then junior Megan Desrats (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) found junior Maddie Hoy (Canton, NY/Canton Central) cutting to the basket for the lay in. Freshman Skye Cameron-Pressley (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) scored her first career points with a bucket in the paint and gave Oneonta their first lead of the game.

The Hawks stopped the first run at 3:19 with an and-one from Jessica Bowens, but Beaudoin answered back with a triple from the top of the arc and sparked a quick 10-3 run, where Cameron-Pressley and Eckert scored down low and Young drilled a three, to put the Red Dragons ahead 33-28 at halftime.

The game was tied at 9:10 in the third quarter when Emma Cohen hit a three-pointer for Hartwick, then Oneonta used most of the quarter to go on a 16-4 stretch. Eckert cleaned the glass and scored a pair of second chance baskets during the run. Young hit a jumper then stole the ball for a layup on the other side, while senior Lidia Boucher (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) drove hard to the rim for the basket and split a pair at the line. After a layup from Desrats, Hartwick's Macy Durkin scored off a jumper to make it a 10-point deficit, 49-39, entering the final quarter.

Hartwick crept their way back in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 53 off a Cohen three-pointer with 3:23 left in regulation. Yadira Smith split a pair at the line to give the Hawks the edge, until Beaudoin made both from the charity stripe with 1:02 left. Eckert put the Red Dragons ahead three with 26 seconds left, then Cohen tied the game at 57 with 13 seconds to go. Oneonta had a chance to win the game before the end of regulation but came up empty.

Hartwick used the free throw line to build a five-point lead in overtime, then Oneonta made their way to the line and made it a one-point game, 62-61, with 25 seconds left. After Smith went 1-for-2 from the stripe to put the Hawks up two, the visiting city rivals forced the Red Dragons to turn the ball over in the closing seconds and scored two more at the line for the final.

Young finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Desrats had the game-high six assists along with six points, nine rebounds, and two steals.

Durkin and Cohen led the Hawks with 16 points each. Durkin added eight rebounds and four steals while Cohen had three three-pointers and five boards.

The Red Dragons shot 29.6 percent from the field, 20.8 percent from three-point range, and 50.0 percent (14-28) from the free throw line. The Hawks finished 40.7 percent from the floor, 33.3 percent from deep, and 57.1 percent from the line (16-for-28).

Oneonta is back in Dewar Arena for their next game on Friday, November 21, against Eastern Connecticut in the Oneonta & Hartwick Classic at 7:30 pm. Read Full Article