Strong Second Half Propels Men’s Basketball to win

ONEONTA, NY- Pete Carmel’s two free throw shots with three seconds remaining in the game sealed a 77-74 victory for the Hawks over the Red Dragons from Oneonta Friday night. Shereef Taylor led all scorers and four Hawks in double-figures with 23 points. The Hawks improve to 8-6 overall and 4-4 in the league.

“Our team defense in the second half was the difference in the game. We held Oneonta to 27 points and we, the coaching staff, are proud the way our players played. Our free throw shooting played a key role down the stretch, as we shot 78 percent as a team” said head coach Dagan Nelson.

Nick Taldi had 18 points and Jayquan Anderson chipped in with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Carmel added 10 points along with the two free throws at the end of the game to seal it.

Brian Hooks led the Red Dragons with 19 points and Troy Talbot added 15 points, four rebounds and a game-high six assists. Brian Beckford had 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as Oneonta falls to 12-3 overall and 5-3 in the conference.

Oneonta came out scoring the first seven points of the game and pushed their lead to as many as eight at 11-3 five minutes into the game. The Hawks closed the gap to three with back-to-back baskets with a three-pointer by Taylor and a lay-up by Taldi. Oneonta would pull away from the Hawks with a 12-5 run for a 29-17 lead with seven minutes, 47 seconds remaining in the half. The Hawks responded with a 14-7 run to pull within five at 36-31 with just under four minutes to go. Oneonta would go into the break with a 47-38 advantage. The Red Dragons outscored the Hawks 30-18 in the paint and 20-10 off the bench in the half.

The second half, the Hawks quickly came out and cut the lead to six with a three-pointer by Taylor and would tie the game at 56-56 with 13 minutes, 49 seconds to go. After trading baskets, Kevin Walsh’s lay-up gave the Red Dragons a two point lead, but a Taldi three-pointer gave the Hawks their first lead of the game at 61-60 with 11 minutes, 28 seconds to go. This is a lead the Hawks would not relinquish. Taldi’s three-pointer ignited a 10-0 run by the Hawks that put them into control with eight minutes, 26 seconds to go. Oneonta stayed strong and was able to pull within one at 75-74 with 21 seconds to go and had the chance for the last shot. With five seconds remaining, Talbot missed back-to-back lay-ups as Carmel pulled down the board to seal the win.