Oneonta Women Use Big Second Half to Beat Cortland in SUNYAC Quarterfinals

More news about: Cortland

CORTLAND, N.Y. - Lyteshia Price scored 18 of her team-high 26 points in the second half as fifth-seeded Oneonta overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat fourth-seeded Cortland, 68-58, in the SUNYAC Women's Basketball Tourament quarterfinals.

Cortland, which was making its 22nd straight SUNYAC tournament appearance, finishes the season at 17-9. Oneonta, in its 23rd consecutive SUNYAC tournament, improved to 17-9 and will face top seed and host New Paltz in the semifinals Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Senior Caysea Cohen (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) led Cortland with 27 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Cassidy Chapko (Valley Falls/Hoosic Valley) finished with 13 points and four steals, and Danielle Levine (Holbrook/Sachem North) added seven rebounds and a team-high five steals.

Price made 9-of-22 shots from the floor for Oneonta, including 4-of-12 from 3-point range. She also led the Red Dragons with 14 rebounds and added four assists. Caitlin Cariseo scored 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, Cara Adams tallied 12 points on 4-of-9 long-distance shooting, and Teresa Anken totaled 10 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Samantha Lisikatos led the guests with seven assists.

Cortland shot 44 percent from the field in the first half, 50 percent (7-of-14) from the 3-point arc, while Oneonta shot only 26 percent in the opening half and 25 percent (5-of-20) from three. Conversely, Oneonta shot 50 percent overall and 43 percent (6-of-14) from the 3-point arc in the second half, while Cortland hit on only 27 percent of its total shots and just seven percent (1-of-15) from three after intermission.

Cortland led 15-14 after one quarter and extended its 35-21 when Cohen hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in the first half. Cohen scored 18 of her 27 points in the first 20 minutes. Cortland led by 11 with 5:46 left in the third after a Kristy Vitucci (Deer Park) 3-pointer, but Oneonta went on a 14-2 run to end the quarter. Adams made two 3-pointers during that stretch, the latter with eight seconds left to give Oneonta its first lead, 43-42, since early in the first quarter.

Oneonta never trailed in the fourth quarter. Cortland was still within four on a Cohen layup with 6:03 remaining, but Cariseo scored five straight points to put Oneonta up 56-47 with 4:48 left. The Oneonta lead was at least six points the rest of the way.