ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Oneonta men's basketball team picked up a 67-55 win over Buffalo State on Saturday afternoon, with three Red Dragons scoring in double digits. With the win, Oneonta moves to 14-8 overall and 12-3 in the SUNYAC, while Buffalo State falls to 7-13 and 3-10 in the conference.

Before the game, Oneonta recognized its two seniors, Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) and Shea Barber (Wells Bridge, NY/Unatego), for their contributions to the team.

"It's always great to get a win on senior day. We will miss Delano and Shea, as they have represented this program with class and dignity, and they have been great rolemodels for our underclassmen," said head coach Cameron Conover. "We are going to enjoy this remaining time together as we have a great group that works hard day in and day out."

A pair of baskets from sophomore Sam Booth (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) brought the Oneonta lead to 9-6 early in the first half. Zee Johnson tied following a three-pointer at 13:55. Senior Nicholas Cortez (Harlem, NY/Forest Hills) and junior Hobson Herlihy (Lawrence, KS/Lawrence) scored inside to make it a five-point Oneonta lead. The Bengals kept the score within single digits, and Hali Shabazz scored on a fastbreak to cut the lead to 27-24. Sophomore Cam LaClair (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem) scored with 40 seconds remaining, but a final pair of Buffalo State free throws from Oryan DeJesus made it 29-25 at halftime.

Cortez opened the second with a three-pointer at 19:50. Ephraim Strong responded with a triple on the ensuing possession. LaClair scored inside, and the Bengals answered with a 7-0 run capped off with a three from Remi Skvorc to take their first lead at 36-34.

The Red Dragons used a 6-0 span to regain the lead at 42-38. Knox scored inside at 11:38 to spur a 7-0 run, and Oneonta went ahead by nine following a basket by freshman Deion Mitchell-Murray (New York, NY/Greenburgh-North Castle). Sophomore Nate Cohen (Somers, NY/Somers) knocked down a triple at 7:04 to give Oneonta its first double-digit lead at 56-45. The Red Dragons led by as much as 14 with LaClair scoring at 1:22 to take a 67-53 lead. Buffalo State mustered one final basket before the final buzzer.

Cortez led Oneonta with 20 points, five rebounds, and two assists while shooting 7-of-10 from the field. Cohen added 11 points off the bench, while Booth netted ten points with four rebounds. LaClair scored eight points with seven rebounds, and Herlihy had seven points with three boards.

Opare led Buffalo State with 15 points, while Johsnon had seven with three rebounds.  

Oneonta currently sits third in the SUNYAC playoff standings and plays its final home game on Friday, February 13, at 7:30 p.m.