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Potsdam men's basketball claws its way back for key road win

Posted 1/29/11

The SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball team posted its first road victory of the season Saturday, defeating Oneonta 61-58 in a State University of New York Athletic Conference showdown in Oneonta, N.Y. …

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Potsdam men's basketball claws its way back for key road win

Posted

The SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball team posted its first road victory of the season Saturday, defeating Oneonta 61-58 in a State University of New York Athletic Conference showdown in Oneonta, N.Y.

The Bears (6-11 overall, 5-5 SUNYAC) ended the game on a 7-0 run after trailing 58-54 with just 1:25 to play in regulation. A 3-pointer by senior Anthony Williams (Long Island, N.Y.) brought Potsdam to within one with 1:16 left. Following an Oneonta miss, freshman Rob Duquette (Peru, N.Y.) converted a lay-up to put the Bears ahead for good.

The Red Dragons (6-12, 5-6) came up empty on the ensuing possession, and were forced to foul Potsdam senior Eddie Cross (Hudson, N.Y.), who knocked down both free throws with three seconds on the clock. Oneonta turned it over on its final possession as the buzzer sounded.

“We did a good job defensively in the final three minutes of contesting shots and not allowing second chances,” Potsdam coach Sherry Dobbs said. “Rob and Eddie made some big plays on the offensive end, and (sophomore) Curtis Pierce played very well. All 11 guys who saw the floor played hard and did a good job.”

Duquette finished with a career-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds. Pierce (Brooklyn, N.Y.) totaled 10 points, all in the first half, and team-bests of eight rebounds and four steals.

In the opening half, the Bears shot 45.8 percent and 9-of-11 from the free throw line while holding the Red Dragons to 37 percent from the field, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range.

“Both teams played hard in the first half,” Dobbs said. “We did a good job of rebounding and keeping Oneonta off the glass. They attacked our zone differently in the second half and we had to adjust.”

After riding a 7-0 run to take a 33-26 halftime advantage, Potsdam held the lead until the 10:04 mark of the second, when Oneonta took its first lead since the 15:04 mark of the first half.

The Red Dragons held a 55-50 lead with 4:44 on the clock before the Bears converted back-to-back lay-ups to make it a one-point game. Three free throws gave Oneonta its four-point lead with 1:25 to play.

Potsdam’s bench outscored Oneonta’s reserves 21-10, led by eight points from Cross and seven from freshman Colin Peterson (Hilton, N.Y.).

The Bears return to the floor this Tuesday, Feb. 1, at Plattsburgh. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.