The SUNY Potsdam women’s basketball team competed valiantly after falling behind in the first half Saturday, but ended the day with a 63-55 setback at Oneonta in a State University of New York Athletic Conference match-up in Oneonta, N.Y.

After trailing by 20 at the end of the opening period, the Bears (2-15 overall, 1-9 SUNYAC) began the second half with an 11-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws by senior captain Aimee Kellicutt (Lisle, N.Y.) to cut the deficit to 38-29 with 16:35 to play.

Potsdam could get no closer, however, as Oneonta (15-3, 9-2) answered every Bears run and shot 9-of-12 from the free throw line in the frame.

"Being down by 20 at the half is pretty daunting," Potsdam coach Tara Ruckh said. "We made a run to start the half but couldn't sustain it. We battled it out, but we just can't find a way to put two halves together."

Both teams experienced drastically different shooting results by half. The Red Dragons shot 45.2 percent from the field in the first half before making just 26.1 percent of their attempts in the second. The Bears made just 6-of-24 (25 percent) in the first half but recovered for a 42.3 percent performance in the second.

The Bears trailed by as many as 23 in the first as the Red Dragons made six 3-pointers and totaled 14 assists against just seven turnovers, a 2-to-1 ratio.

"We didn't shoot well, had some turnovers and gave up offensive rebounds in the first half," Ruckh said. "We couldn't find a way to get a defensive stop. Oneonta is a big team and we struggled defensively in the first."

For the game, Oneonta converted 10-of-19 from 3-point range, while Potsdam also made 10 from distance, on 25 attempts.

Sophomore Katy Briedis (Canton, N.Y.) posted a team-high 16 points along with four rebounds, while senior captain Brittany Whitton (DeKalb, N.Y.) tallied 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Kellicutt finished with nine points, eight rebounds and five steals.

The Bears return to action this Tuesday, Feb. 1, at Plattsburgh. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.