BOXSCORE ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Fredonia State grabbed an early lead and held it throughout its 68-63 SUNYAC road win Friday over the Oneonta Red Dragons in women's basketball.
Brittany LaForce (Weedsport) led the scoring with 18 points, including four three-point baskets. Three of them came as the Blue Devils built a 36-30 lead at halftime.
Two of her points came on a jumper from just inside the arc in the final minute -- a basket which effectively put an end to Oneonta's comeback bid. The Red Dragons trailed 52-38 midway through the second half before rallying.
Becky Hebert (Hilton) finished with 17 points, below her 23.6 scoring average -- seventh in NCAA Division III -- coming into the game.
Alexis Cheatham (Lockport) added 15 points and five assists, while
Jaimie Warren had (Lake View) had 10 points.
Sabrina Macaulay (Newark) had a strong all-around game with 6 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocked shots.
The Blue Devils improved to 7-6 in the SUNYAC (12- 7 overall) and tied Cortland for fourth place. Both teams are on the road Saturday -- the Blue Devils at New Paltz (2 p.m.), Cortland at Oswego (6 p.m.). Oneonta fell to 9-5 in SUNYAC and 15-6 overall.
Twice the Red Dragons made it a one-possession game. They cut the margin to 57-54 on a jump shot by Alyshia Crawford. The Blue Devils countered with a quick inbounds pass and a long pass by Warren ahead to Hebert, who snuck behind the Oneonta defense for a fastbreak layup.
The second Oneonta threat to tie the game came with 46 seconds left as Sarah Longto's layup cut the Blue Devils' lead to 64-61. On the next possession, Hebert drove the baseline and sent a kick-out pass to LaForce stationed on the left perimeter. LaForce caught, shot, and took most of the fire out of the Red Dragons with a basket to give the Blue Devils a 66-61 lead with 28 seconds left.
Following a Fredonia State defensive stop, Oneonta fouled Cheatham and the freshman guard made a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
