Oneonta went 6-8 from the foul line in the final two minutes of the game to claim a 71-61 victory over host New Paltz. New Paltz falls to 7-13 on the season and 4-7 in conference play, while Oneonta improves to 14-7 and 9-3 in SUNYAC.
First year guard Harris Wichard (Merrick/Bellmore JFK) led the Hawks with a career high 19 points on 8-of-12 from the floor. Junior forward Lee Bertram (Bayport/Bayport Blue Point) went 6-11 from the floor to finish with 16 points and six rebounds. Senior Matt Hauser (East Williston/Chaminade) and junior Connor Cornine (Warwick/Don Bosco Prep) each chipped in with eight points and Cornine grabbed a team-high eight boards. Junior guard Oppong Agyemang (Windsor, CT/Windsor) dished out a game-high seven assists.
Bertram tied the game for the fifth time in the first half on a jumper at 4:02 to even the score at 27-27. Oneonta responded with a 7-0 run over the next 1:15. The two teams exchanged baskets the rest of the half, as Wichard made a layup with six seconds left for a 38-33 intermission.
The Hawks immediately cut the lead to three on their first possession of the second half but the Red Dragons came back with a 12-4 run over a span of 5:29 to lead 50-39. New Paltz battled back and cut the lead to three (60-57) on a free throw by Cornine at 3:40. The Hawks trailed by four (65-61) with 1:54 remaining, but that is as close as they would come before Oneonta would hit 6-8 foul shots for the 71-61 final.
New Paltz returns to action on Friday February 13th when they travel to Oswego for a 8pm tip-off.
