BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Oneonta women's basketball team defeated Buffalo State in a SUNYAC clash on the road, 68-52, Friday evening. Oneonta forced Buffalo State to commit 17 turnovers and finished with a 19-9 margin in points off turnovers, while they also controlled the offensive glass for an 8-0 advantage in second chance points. The Red Dragons improved to 8-5 overall, 3-3 in the SUNYAC, and the Bengals dropped to 2-11 this season and 1-5 in conference play.

Senior Lidia Boucher (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) finished 7-for-17 with three three-pointers to record the game-high 18 points with eight rebounds and three steals. Junior Carlie Young (Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville Central) went 7-for-13 from the floor for 15 points and totaled four boards and a steal. Freshman Sydney Pleat (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) came off the bench and shot 5-for-10 from the field, 2-for-6 from deep, for 14 points.

"Really proud of how the team performed against the zone today," said head coach Daphne Thompson. "We have seen limited zone all year, and they exceed expectations in their execution against it!"

Boucher, Young, and junior Megan Desrats (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) shot a combined 8-for-11 from the floor in the first quarter, 3-for-4 from three-point range, and scored all 19 points for Oneonta to take a 19-13 lead at the end of the period. Young led with seven points while Boucher and Desrats each had six; Desrats also had three assists in the period. The Bengals were up four at 7:18, until the Red Dragon trio ended the quarter with a 14-4 run. 

Young got the ball from Boucher for a corner jumper to start the second quarter, then Boucher stole the ball for a fastbreak layup to put the Red Dragons up 23-13 at 8:28. Buffalo State scored six unanswered, then Oneonta responded with free throws from Boucher and Pleat and a pull up jumper from Pleat to go back up nine. The teams closed out the second quarter trading baskets with one another as sophomore Leela Guobadia (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) ended the half with an offensive putback to give Oneonta a 35-27 lead. 

Boucher began the third quarter with a deep two then she found Young in the corner for a jumper to put the Red Dragons up 39-27 at 8:47. Buffalo State pulled within six until Oneonta went on a 12-0 run for a 51-33 advantage at 1:26. Boucher banked in a corner three to spark the stretch, then freshman Addy Eckert (Bloomville, NY/South Kortright) knocked down a midrange jumper. After Guobadia split a pair at the line, Pleat and Boucher each hit a jump shot, then Guobadia found freshman Tyalia Fret-Thom (Poughkeepsie, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) behind her defender for the reverse lay in. The Bengals stopped the run with a layup, but Pleat drained a three-pointer from the wing to put the Red Dragons up 54-35 at the end of the quarter.

Buffalo State's Naya Haymon began the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, before Oneonta went on a 9-0 run to gain their largest lead of the game, 63-38, with 4:32 to play. Young drained a floater to ignite the run, before Beaudoin hit a three off an assist from Skye Cameron-Pressley (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle). Cameron-Pressley then kicked it out to Fret-Thom for a deep two-pointer, and Boucher capped it off with a steal on an inbound pass and a layup on the other end of the court. The Red Dragons maintained the 25-point lead with a trey from Beaudoin and a jumper from Pleat at 2:59, then the Bengals ended the game with nine unanswered points for the final.

Desrats finished with the game-high eight assists, tying her season-best, along with six points and two steals. Beaudoin had six points with two assists and two steals, and Eckert tied Boucher with the game-high eight rebounds.

Oneonta shot 37.8 percent from the floor and finished with a 41-37 rebounding advantage, 12-5 on the offensive glass. Buffalo State shot 36.4 percent from the field and had Haymon lead the team with 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Amya Moore totaled 10 points and five assists.

The Red Dragons are back in action on Saturday, January 17, for a conference contest at Fredonia at 2 pm. Read Full Article