ONEONTA, N.Y. -- In a SUNYAC contest that came down to the wire, the Oneonta women's basketball team outlasted Plattsburgh State for a 61-59 conference win, Friday evening in Dewar Arena. The teams remained deadlocked at halftime, and at the end of the third quarter, then Oneonta sparked a 13-5 run to start the fourth and closed it out at the free throw line for the victory. The Red Dragons improved their overall record to 9-7 and 4-5 in the SUNYAC, while the Cardinals dropped to 9-6 this season and 4-4 in conference play.
Junior
Carlie Young (Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville Central) shot 7-for-11 from the floor, 3-for-7 from three, and recorded the team-high 18 points with four rebounds. Senior
Lidia Boucher (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) made two three-pointers and finished with 14 points, six boards and four steals. Freshmen
Kayla Beaudoin (Brunswick, NY/Tamarac) and
Addy Eckert (Bloomville, NY/South Kortright) each totaled eight points, as Beaudoin also had three assists and Eckert brought in five rebounds. Junior
Megan Desrats (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) had six points while she led or co-led the team with eight rebounds, three assists, and four steals.
"The team is still learning how to win," said Head Coach
Daphne Thompson. "Every game has new challenges, and today we managed them with determination."
Plattsburgh got out to the first lead of the game, however six early points from Beaudoin kept Oneonta within striking distance, 14-11, at 2:53. Freshman
Sydney Pleat (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) and Beaudoin each knocked down a jumper before the end of the period to trim the deficit to one, but Plattsburgh's Imani Walcott and Jaden Wilson answered each time with a basket in the paint to maintain their team's three-point lead, 18-15, at the end of the period.
The Cardinals extended their lead to seven before the Red Dragons went on a 9-2 run, powered by Young with seven points and capped off by a jumper from Boucher, to tie the game at 24 with 3:53 left in the second. Young drained a trey to give Oneonta their first lead of the game, then she fired in another triple on the following possession for a 30-26 lead at 2:08. Plattsburgh scored six unanswered to regain the edge, until Young ended the half with a layup to tie the game at 32.
Both teams traded baskets before Boucher drilled a three-pointer to put the Red Dragons ahead, 39-36, at 6:26. The Cardinals trailed until Walcott scored in the paint at 3:44. Walcott later made two at the free throw line, however Oneonta freshman
Tyalia Fret-Thom (Poughkeepsie, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) knocked down two at the line while sophomore
Leela Guobadia (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) split a pair to tie the game at 42 entering the fourth quarter.
Oneonta started the final period with a 13-5 stretch to go up 55-47 with 5:59 to go. Eckert ignited the run with a layup and later converted an and-one. Desrats drove hard to the rim for the bucket plus the foul to convert a three-point play, then Boucher ended it with a trey and a midrange jumper. Freshman
Skye Cameron-Pressley (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) scored a fastbreak layup to keep a seven-point lead at 4:08, however Plattsburgh cut their deficit to one, 58-57, with 42 seconds left.
Oneonta went back up 60-57 with 15 seconds left following a Plattsburgh turnover and Boucher's trips to the line. After the Cardinals made it a one-point game with 12 seconds to go, Desrats split a pair at the free throw line, and the Red Dragons played lock down defense on the Cardinals final possession and forced them to hoist up a heavily contested three-pointer that was off the mark to secure the win.
Oneonta forced Plattsburgh to commit 20 turnovers, to their 10, for a 19-2 margin in points off turnovers. The Red Dragons also owned the offensive glass, 22-14, and finished with a 16-9 advantage in second chance points. The Cardinals shot 38.3 percent from the floor and held a 46-45 edge in total rebounds. Plattsburgh was led by Walcott, who finished with the game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds.
The Red Dragons are back in action on Saturday, January 24, for a SUNYAC game against Potsdam in Dewar Arena at 2 pm.
