MORRISVILLE, N.Y. - The Oneonta men's basketball team jumped out to a 26-point halftime lead to earn a 105-80 victory over Morrisville on Friday evening. The Red Dragons win their second straight game and move to 5-5 and 3-0 in the SUNYAC, while the Mustangs fall to 3-8 overall and 2-2 in the conference. Oneonta's 105 points scored are the sixth-most in program history in a single game.
"We had a couple of good days of practice, and it paid off tonight," said head coach Cameron Conover. "Our guys came out with a focus on both ends of the ball and executed our game plan well. It's a good win, but we have to turn our attention to tomorrow's opponent, who are playing extremely well right now."
Oneonta took a 15-9 lead in the first half following jumpers by senior Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) and sophomore Cam LaClair (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem). LaClair followed with another basket and then drained a triple at 11:59 to push the lead to 22-9. Morrisville's Tony Borges broke the streak with an inside basket, but another LaClair three-pointer off an assist from junior Nicholas Cortez (Harlem, NY/Forest Hills) sent Oneonta ahead by 14 points.
The Red Dragons' lead grew to 29-11 following back-to-back baskets by Knox. Senior Shea Barber (Wells Bridge, NY/Unatego) and sophomore Nate Cohen (Somers, NY/Somers) converted inside to give Oneonta a 20-point advantage. After the Mustangs' Avion Grainger scored at 8:03, Oneonta held Morrisville scoreless until 3:08, where the Red Dragons' lead grew to 44-17. A final three-pointer by Cortez made it 52-26 going into halftime.
Junior Hobson Herlihy (Lawrence, KS/Lawrence) drained a pair of triples to open the second half, extending the lead to 60-31. Hobson hit another three at 16:21 to make it a 30-point game. Morrisville had a few sparks of offense with John Moody spurring a 7-0 run to make it 86-56 with 8:18 remaining. Oneonta eclipsed 100 points following a layup from junior Ibrahim Wally (Brooklyn, NY/East NY Family Academy) at 3:44 as the Red Dragons easily secured the win.
Three Red Dragons recorded double-doubles, with LaClair leading the way behind 26 points, ten rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Knox finished with 13 points, 11 boards, six assists, and two blocks, while Wally had a career high of ten points and ten rebounds. Cortez added 15 points with five assists. Herlihy scored 11 points.
Kaelem Haskins led Morrisville with 13 points, and Grainger had 11 points with six rebounds.
Oneonta next travels to Cortland on Saturday, January 10, at 4 p.m.
