POTSDAM -- Oneonta State (5-9, 2-5 SUNYAC) ran out to a sizable early lead en route 57-39 victory over the SUNY Potsdam women’s basketball team (1-13, 0-7) on Friday night.

Junior guards Grace Schilling (Northport, N.Y./Northport) and Kristin Pappalardo (Mahopac, N.Y./Lakeland) reached double-digits for the Red Dragons with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Bears junior forward Chenice Russell (Moira, N.Y./Brushton Moira) paced Potsdam with 10 points and four rebounds.

Oneonta opened the contest with an 11-0 run over the first 3:30, capped with a three-pointer from freshman guard Lyteshia Price (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool).

Bears senior guard Katy Briedis (Canton, N.Y./Cushing Academy) answered with a three to get Potsdam on the board. After trading baskets over the next five minutes, Bears freshman forward Katie LaVoie (Malone, N.Y./Franklin Academy) hit a three to cut the lead to 17-8.

However, the Red Dragons used 9-0 run in a three-minute span to take a commanding 26-8 advantage.

Both teams knocked down threes to close the half at 29-13. The first period ended on a scoring drought that lasted well into the second half.

Oneonta went about nine minutes without a point and Potsdam nearly matched the number with seven and a half scoreless minutes. At 16:10 Schilling hit a layup for a 37-16 Red Dragon lead.

The Bears nearly matched Oneonta basket-for-basket over the rest of the contest.

Oneonta opened a 23-point advantage with a layup from freshman guard Bryn Loomis (Norwich, N.Y./Norwich) for it’s largest lead of the game. The Bears chipped away with an 8-0 stretch to cut the gap to 48-33 with 5:58 on the clock.

Sophomore guard Colleen McNamara (Guelph, Ontario/Our Lady of Lourdes) closed the run with a three-pointer. The Red Dragons slowly built the lead back to 20 and to finished the 18-point victory.

Oneonta shot 41 percent from the floor, including 57 percent in the final 20 minutes. Potsdam was held to just less than 29 percent on the night.

Junior forward Jessica Kouzan (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) finished with eight points for Potsdam, while Briedis contributed seven points and a team-high seven boards.

The Bears are back in action tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. when they host undefeated New Paltz at Jerry Welsh Gymnasium.