CORTLAND, N.Y. - The Oneonta women's basketball team outscored Cortland by 23 points in the second half to erase an 11-point halftime deficit and defeated the host Red Dragons, 59-47, in a SUNYAC matchup.
Oneonta shot only 21 percent in the first half and trailed by as many as 15 points before entering intermission down 29-18. The guests, however, shot 52 percent from the field in the second half, including 9-of-13 (69 percent) from 3-point range, to pull away for the win. Oneonta finished 12-of-30 (40 percent) from the arc. Cortland, conversely, shot 33 percent from the field in the first half and only 17 percent (5-of-30) in the second half.
Cara Adams led Oneonta (7-6, 4-2 SUNYAC) with 19 points. She made 5-of-10 shots from the 3-point arc. Alexa Amalbert added 13 points and three assists, Leanne Corso had 10 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, and Kathryn Polletta scored nine points, all on second-half 3-pointers. Samantha Lisikatos led the team with five assists and Madeline Frank chipped in with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Cortland (5-7, 4-2 SUNYAC) was paced by
Alyssa Crosby's (Brier Hill/Hammond) 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Cassidy Chapko (Valley Falls/Hoosic Valley) scored 13 points and
Stephanie Rice (Duanesburg) added 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Danielle Levine (Holbrook/Sachem North) also grabbed eight rebounds and led Cortland with three steals.
Cortland led 12-8 after one quarter and 29-14 with 2:47 left in the second quarter after a Chapko 3-pointer. Oneonta scored the last four points of the half and eventually took its first lead of the game at 34-32 on an Amalbert 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining in the third. Cortland briefly regained the lead at 35-34 on an
Alaina Lynch (Staten Island/Staten Island Tech) jumper with 48 seconds left, but Polletta hit a trey with 27 seconds left and Oneonta entered the fourth ahead 37-35.
Three-pointers by Polletta and Corso in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter pushed Oneonta's lead to eight. Cortland got back to within five a minute or so later on a Crosby layup, but Adams hit a 3-pointer and Corso made two free throws to give the guests a 48-38 lead with 6:08 left. Chapko hit a trey to cut it to seven, but Adams answered with a 3-pointer moments later. Oneonta led by at least eight the rest of the way.
Cortland will play a non-league game at NYU Monday at 3 p.m. and will return to SUNYAC play next Friday and Saturday with games at Potsdam and Plattsburgh.
