LAVAL, Quebec - In Oneonta's opening game of the Northern Classic, the Red Dragons fell 85-50 to a strong shooting Colgate team. While the game is an exhibition contest for Oneonta, Colgate moves to 4-4 with the win.

"I thought we came out and played well on both ends," said head coach Cameron Conover. "Colgate shot the ball very well and we hung in there throughout the first half. Unfortunately, they wore us down in the second half."

Oneonta played close early and took a 7-4 lead following a jumper from sophomore Sam Booth (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) at 17:17. The Raiders responded with a 6-0 run, but Oneonta went ahead 11-10 after a pair of Booth free throws.

Triples from Colgate's Jalen Cox and Josh Ahayere gave Colgate a 16-11 advantage, and the Raiders went ahead by ten points when Ben Tweedy scored inside at 10:46. The Red Dragons pulled within single digits, with senior Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) knocking down a three-pointer at 3:00 to cut the lead to 34-29. Colgate followed with a 7-0 run before freshman Carlos Almanzar (Brooklyn, NY/John Jay Campus) scored in the final minute to make it 41-31 at the break.

Sophomore Cam LaCLair netted the opening basket of the second to cut the lead to 41-33, but the Raiders went on a 10-2 span over five minutes to pull away 51-35. Colgate's lead grew to 31 points, but Oneonta mustered an 8-0 run to chip away at the lead to make it 69-46. Both teams played their benches in the final minutes, and the Raiders walked away with the victory.

LaClair led Oneonta with 14 points, while junior Nicholas Cortez (Harlem, NY/Forest Hills) added 12 points and four rebounds.

Andrew Alekseyenko led Colgate with 15 points and seven rebounds. Cox added 12 points, and Ahayere added 15 points off the bench.

Oneonta continues the Northern Classic on Sunday, November 30, against UAlbany at 1 p.m.