Oneonta Men's Basketball Advances to SUNYAC Semifinals with 75-68 Win Over Brockport
Oneonta Sports Information Department
BROCKPORT, N.Y. - The sixth-seeded Oneonta men's basketball team defeated third-seeded Brockport 75-68 in the SUNYAC First Round on Tuesday evening to advance to the semifinals. The Red Dragons now travel to face New Paltz on Fri. Feb. 23 at Oswego, NY at 5:30 p.m.
"Playoff basketball is fun! Our guys had a great focus for 40 minutes," said head coach Cameron Conover. "Brockport is a very tough team and our guys matched their intensity and we made the necessary plays to secure the win. Our guys are pumped to still be playing and we look forward to the semifinals on Friday."
Oneonta fell behind 7-2 in the first following a Caquan Wester three-pointer at 17:24. Junior Xavier Hill (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City) answered with an and-one to cut the lead to two, but Brockport continued to hold a narrow lead. After some back-and-forth scoring, junior Caleb scored inside at 13:32 to make it 13-11. Danny Ashley responded with a trey to push the Golden Eagles' lead to 16-11.
Sophomore Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) hit two consecutive jumpers to cut the lead to 16-15, and sophomore Delano Knox (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) converted inside to give Oneonta its first lead at 17-16. Brockport retook the lead at 9:35, but a dunk from freshman Daniel Penubothula (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream Central) made it 19-18.
Brockport took a four-point lead after a three from Nathaniel Gordon at 7:33. The Red Dragons hung around with five straight Hill points, retaking the lead at 29-28. The teams traded single-digit leads, and Brockport led 38-35 with 50 seconds remaining. Hill scored the final basket of the half to make it 38-37 heading into the break.
Oneonta outscored Brockport 16-5 in the first six minutes of the second, with senior Graham Wooden (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) hitting a three-pointer at 14:31 to extend the Red Dragons' lead to 53-43. Oneonta continued to stay up and capitalized on a Brockport technical at 11:34 to male it 59-47. Wester brought the score within ten following a jumper at 10:34. Knox split free throws, and Wooden drained another three-pointer at 9:37 to make it 63-49. The Golden Eagles chipped back in by using a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 65-59 with 5:19 left in the game. Wooden pushed Oneonta up 67-59 with a quick mid-range jump shot, but Brockport's Wester hit a triple to make it a five-point game. The Golden Eagles fouled freshman Mohammad Sylla (Bronx, NY/Darrow) with 28 seconds left, and the first-year hit both to make it 75-68 as the Red Dragons held on for the victory.
Hill recorded a double-double with 19 points and 19 rebounds, while Wooden added 18 points, six boards, two assists, and a steal. Castillo scored 15 points and had six rebounds.
Wester finished with 19 points, six boards, two blocks, and a steal. Milo Scheve had 12 points, and Alex Tavarez scored 10.
Oneonta plays New Paltz in the SUNYAC Semifinals on Fri. Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Oswego.
