ONEONTA, N.Y. -- After defeating Canton in the first round of the SUNAYC Tournament, the Oneonta women's basketball team heads to New Paltz to face No. 22 nationally ranked Cortland in a Red Dragon, semifinal conference matchup on Friday, February 27, at 7:30 pm. General admission tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors (65+) and children 12 and under. All SUNYAC students with valid student ID are free of charge.

Oneonta enters the semifinal contest with a 15-11 overall record, and after they beat Canton, 67-55, in the first round as the six seed. Oneonta had senior Lidia Boucher (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central) and junior Carlie Young (Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville Central) each score the team-high 18 points, while freshmen Addy Eckert (Bloomville, NY/South Kortright) and Tyalia Fret-Thom (Poughkeepsie, NY/Roy C. Ketcham) recorded 13 points and 11 points, respectively. Cortland earned the two seed in the conference after they went 22-3 overall and 17-1 in league play.

In the regular season, Cortland took both games against Oneonta. Oneonta held the lead in Cortland after the first quarter, but Cortland secured game, 58-42, then they took game two in Oneonta three weeks later, 62-39.

Oneonta's breakdown is similar/updated to what was written in the First Round Preview
Oneonta can spread the offense around with seven players averaging at least 5.0 points a game this season, which is tied with Cortland for second-most out of the playoff teams behind Plattsburgh, who has eight players. While having the ability to spread the rock around, the Red Dragons offensive charge is led by a one-two punch of Young and Boucher.

Young leads Oneonta with SUNYAC's ninth-best 11.8 points per game, shooting 36.8 percent from the floor, and 31.2 percent from three-point range. The junior forward had 11 games with at least 15 points this season, three double-doubles, and she became the seventh player in program history to record 30 points with a career-high 31 against Eastern Connecticut State. Young is fourth in the league with 44 made three-pointers and is third on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game (rpg.) and over a steal a game with 27 total this year.

Boucher is second on the team with 11.2 ppg. in the regular season, though she leads the Red Dragons against conference opponents with 11.6 ppg. (ranked 14th in the SUNYAC). The Delmar, N.Y. native had nine games scoring at least 15 points, five games in SUNYAC play with at least three three-pointers, and she dropped a career-high 20 points against Oswego. Boucher is ranked second on the team and eighth in the SUNYAC with 36 made triples, 14th in the conference with 1.8 steals a game, and third on the team with 5.4 rpg.

The Red Dragons main ball handler is one of the best in the nation, as well as the SUNYAC, in Desrats. The junior point guard is first in the conference and 9th in NCAA Division III in assist to turnover ratio at 2.34. She is also 15th in the nation in total assists with 124, and 19th with 4.8 assists per game. Both marks are best in the conference.

Logging just over 34.92 minutes per game (85th highest in the NCAA), Desrats averaged 5.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and the SUNYAC's 11th-best 1.9 steals per game this season. She has been involved in each form of the game this year, recording nine games with at least eight rebounds, four games with eight or more assists (12 games with at least six), and eight games with at least three steals.

This year, Oneonta's freshmen class in Kayla Beaudoin (Brunswick, NY/Tamarac), Eckert, Fret-Thom, Sydney Pleat (Albany, NY/Colonie Central), and Skye Cameron-Pressley (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) have come in and made an immediate impact on the team's success.

Beaudoin started 22 games for the Red Dragons and was third on the team with 7.4 points a game, second with 42 assists, and fourth with 20 steals. She is one of the top free throw shooters in the league, leading the team (players with one free throw attempt a game) with an .830 percentage (39-for-47). Beaudoin has recorded nine double-digit performances, including a career-high 17 versus Hartwick, and has had seven games with at least two three-pointers.

Eckert and Desrats were the only two players to start all 26 games. The Red Dragon center led Oneonta with 6.5 rebounds a game, tied for 11th most in the conference, while she averaged 5.7 points. Eckert scored at least 10 points in five games this season and recorded two double-doubles against Hartwick and Buffalo State.

Fret-Thom averaged 20.2 minutes in 23 games with two starts for the team. She was third on the team with 23 made three-pointers and fourth with 6.6 ppg. Fret-Thom had six games with two or more treys, and she became the 10th player in program history to make six three-pointers in a single game on Feb. 7 against Fredonia.

Cameron-Pressley joined Desrats and Eckert as the only Red Dragons to play in all 26 games this season. Cameron-Pressley had seven games where she brought in at least five rebounds, four games with at least five points, and is third on the team with a 36.5 field goal percentage.  Pleat transferred midway through the season and played in 11 games for the team. She has averaged 5.0 points per game with two games over 10 points and three games with at least two three-pointers.

A couple other role players for the Red Dragons are sophomores Leela Guobadia (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) and Kendall Mack (Cortland, NY/Cortland). The sophomore duo is the team's most efficient scorers this season as Guobadia leads the team (players with at least one shot attempt per game) with a 42.3 field goal percentage, and Mack is second shooting 41.0 percent from the floor.

Guobadia appeared in 16 of the team's final 17 games after dealing with a pre-season injury, and, in her last nine games, she has averaged 4.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks. Mack played in 23 games for Oneonta with her first career start occurring on Feb. 13 against New Paltz, and in the past 10 games has averaged 5.2 points and 1.3 assists while shooting 40.0 percent from three-point range.

Key Players for Cortland
On the other side of the court, Cortland is led by Joleen Lusk, Jackie Funk, and Brooke Tillotson. Lusk averaged the team-high 11.4 points with 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, while Funk scored 11.0 points a game and totaled a team-high 29 three-pointers. Tillotson shot 46.6 percent from the field for 10.5 points a game with 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals. Cortland has three players averaging over six points per game in Sam Dembinsky (6.7), Cadence Nicholas (6.4), and Sophie Bissaillon (6.2).

What is at Stake
The winner will advance to the SUNYAC Championship and play either top-seeded New Paltz or fourth-seed Plattsburgh on Saturday, February 28, at 4:00 pm. The Hawks and Cardinals tip-off on Friday before the Red Dragons' semifinal match at 5:30 pm.