ONEONTA, N.Y. - Three Red Dragons scored in double digits as the Oneonta men's basketball team earned an 80-61 win over Penn State Altoona in the Michael A. Freilich Tournament consolation game on Sunday afternoon. Junior Kobe Long (Rochester, NY/McQuaid) led all scorers with a career-high 30 points with six three-pointers to help the Red Dragons move to 2-1 overall. The Lions fall to 1-3 with the loss.
"I thought our guys responded well today. We had a better collective focus on the defensive end," said head coach Cameron Conover. "We had several guys step up and contribute. We are happy to be 2-1, but we know we have to improve on both ends of the ball."
Penn State took an early lead with five points from Nehemiah Frye. Sophomore Sam Booth (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) spurred a 7-0 Red Dragons' run, with Long dropping his first three of the day. Two triples coming from Braelen Cage put the Lions ahead 11-9. Oneonta answered with a Booth triple at 8:38 to take a four-point lead, and then another Long trey put the Red Dragons ahead 24-19. Long sank four first-half three-pointers to bring the Oneonta lead to double digits. Freshman Deion Mitchell-Murray (New York, NY/Greenburgh-North Castle) scored down low at 1:24 to make it 34-21, and Long hit a pair of free throws to take a 15-point lead heading into the break.
Two baskets by Michael Baskerville cut the Oneonta lead to 36-25 to open the second half, but scores from Booth and Mitchell-Murray brought it back to a 13-point advantage. Junior Nicholas Cortez (Harlem, NY/Forest Hills) hit a three at 17:37 and then hit another less than ten seconds later off a steal to make it 46-30. Oneonta's lead grew to 18 points following another Long triple at 7:06. Booth hit back-to-back threes to make it 74-54 as the Red Dragons cruised to the finish.
Booth recorded a career-high 21 points with ten rebounds, while Cortez added 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Mitchell-Murray finished with a season-high seven points and seven boards.
Baskerville led Penn State with 16 points and two steals, while Frye added 15 points and seven rebounds.
As a team, Oneonta shot 45.3 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range. The Red Dragons held the Lions to 22.7 percent from behind the arc and outrebounded 42-25.
Oneonta next travels to face Williams on Wednesday, November 19 at 7 p.m.
