BUFFALO, N.Y. - Four Red Dragons scored in double digits as the Oneonta men's basketball team defeated Buffalo State 60-54 on Saturday afternoon. The Red Dragons have won four straight and move to 12-8 overall and 7-6 in the SUNYAC, while the Bengals fall to 5-14 and 3-9 in the conference.
"Our team is playing hard. Every game is different and has its challenges, and our guys have been responding and playing tough," said head coach Cameron Conover. "We are happy with the win, but we know there are areas where we need to improve, and we look forward to practice this week."
A made tip-in from senior Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) tied 6-6 early in the first half. Buffalo State's Oryan DeJesus knocked down a three-pointer at 14:53 and another at 13:39 to give the Bengals a 12-8 lead.
The score remained within two points until junior Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) started an 11-0 run with a triple from junior Luke De Gannes (Burlington, Ontario/Tennessee Prep) to take a 27-16 lead. Back-to-back layups from senior Zyeir Lawrence (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) maintained Oneonta's double-digit lead at 33-21. Buffalo State pulled within seven points with a DeJesus layup and a triple from Remi Skvorc to make it 33-26 at halftime.
The Bengals fought back with a 10-0 run to take a 36-35 lead with 13:26 remaining. Sophomore Kobe Long (Rochester, NY/McQuaid) drained a trey at 10:02 to push the Red Dragons ahead 44-38, but Buffalo State's Willmer Beard knocked down a three-pointer, and a dunk from Zee Johnson put the Bengals up 44-43.
Eight consecutive points from freshman Cam LaClair (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) gave Oneonta a seven-point cushion, but another Beard triple kept the score within four. The Red Dragons led 56-50 with 19 seconds left and converted free throws to pick up the win.
LaClair led the team with 14 points and four rebounds, while Long added 13 points, six boards, and five assists off the bench. Harts scored ten points with nine rebounds, and Castillo had ten points.
Matt Parkinson scored 15 points for Buffalo State, while DeJesus had 13.
Oneonta returns home to host Potsdam on Fri. Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
