POTSDAM, N.Y. – The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (3-3, 2-1 SUNYAC) fell to Oneonta State (6-2, 2-1) 85-81 in overtime on Saturday night at the Jerry Welsh Gymnasium. Junior forward Tyrese Baptiste (Brooklyn N.Y./Eagle Academy II) registered his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Sophomore guard Colton Huestis (Ticonderoga, N.Y./Ticonderoga) sank a game-high four 3-pointers for 16 points on the night. Freshman forward Parker Kelly (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) hit three triples himself and went perfect from the charity stripe as he scored a career-high 19 points for the Bears.
 
The Red Dragons started off the game red hot opened on a 10-3 run. The run was fueled by a jump shot from junior guard Michael Ortale (Bethlehem N.Y./Bethlehem Central) and a 3-pointer from junior guard Dylan Trombley (Moriah, N.Y./Moriah). Leading 8-3 at 17:36, senior guard Daniel Derice (Tampa, Fla./Wesley Chapel) threw down a slam dunk off an assist from senior guard Sean Nolan (Voorheesville, N.Y./Voorheesville) to take the seven-point lead at 17:11. Baptiste answered by tipping in an offensive rebound at 16:10. This basket ignited an 11-0 run for the Bears gave them a 14-10 advantage at 14:18. With the score tied at 17-17, freshman guard MeSean Johnson (Ogdensburg N.Y./Ogdensburg Free Academy) sank both of his free throws at 12:08 to pull ahead of the Red Dragons 18-17. Two minutes later, Baptiste and freshman guard Jeff Williamson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) nailed back-to-back three-point shots to extend the Potsdam lead to 24-17 at 10:22. The momentum continued to surge in favor of the Bears as they went on another run, this time 11-4. Kelly led the wave with a 3-pointer, a contested layup, and a pair of free throws. The Bears had a 35-21 advantage over the Red Dragons with 5:44 to go in the half. The 14-point lead was Potsdam's largest of the night. The Red Dragons, however continued to chip away at the Bears lead as sophomore guard Frankie Williams (Bronx, N.Y./Fannie Lou) dropped seven points in the final minutes of the opening half. The Bears owned a 42-32 advantage over the Red Dragons through 20 minutes.


Potsdam kept the pressure on Oneonta as the second half began to unfold. Senior forward Dante Viskovich (Massena, N.Y./Massena) sank a 3-pointer to extend the Bears lead 45-32 at 19:43. Refusing to go away, the Red Dragons played taut defense. After closing the gap 64-52, Oneonta made another 8-3 scoring effort to trim the Potsdam edge to seven points with 2:24 remaining in the game. The following play, Kelly drove the ball to the hole and was fouled by an Oneonta defender, resulting in two free throws. Kelly nailed both from the charity stripe to extend the Potsdam lead 69-60 at 2:10. Making good use of its timeouts, Oneonta was able to score two quick layups to close the gap to 71-64 with 1:14 left in the contest. With only a minute remaining, the Red Dragons played the foul game in an attempt to extend the contest. Luckily, the Bears were able to inbound the ball to Huestis who is a career 72% from the line. He hit both of his throws, resulting in a 73-64 Potsdam lead at 59 seconds. Despite a seemingly safe lead, graduate guard Kameron Hickey (Atlanta, Ga./Etowah), sophomore forward Ryan Teaney (Schenectady, N.Y./Guilderland) and Ortale each hit clutch 3-pointers to tie the game 73-73 with 36 seconds remaining. The Bears had a final chance to win the game in regulation with three seconds on the clock, but the Red Dragons played great defense to force overtime
 
In the extra five minutes, the Red Dragons kicked their offense to another gear. Oneonta went on a 6-1 run in the first 3:02 for a 79-75 lead. Viskovich and Kelly then made the most of their free throws to get the Bears within 80-78 with 1:59 left. With 28 seconds on the clock, Ortale was able to grab an offensive rebound off a missed shot. After giving a quick pump fake, Ohe went up into a Potsdam defender to draw a foul. Under tremendous pressure from the Potsdam crowd, Ortale calmly sank both free throws to make it 82-78. After Ortale hit another free throw with 14 seconds left, sophomore guard Isaac Oduro Jr. (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King) dribbled up the floor and shot a contested 3-pointer over an Oneonta defender. The shot tickled twine and the Red Dragons lead was down to 83-81 with eight seconds remaining. After both teams came out of Oneonta's timeout, Potsdam set up a full-court press to force a turnover to get the ball back. After the unsuccessful attempt,  the Bears were forced to foul Williams. He sank both free throws, securing the 85-81 victory for the Red Dragons.
 
Johnson had a well-balanced game for the Bears, showcasing a near triple-double performance with five points, eight assists, and nine rebounds. Viskovich rounded out the scoring effort for the Bears with 11 points.
 
Williams registered a game-high 31 points for the Red Dragons while both Derice and Ortale had 19 and 14 points, respectively.
 
The Bears resume their schedule on Tuesday, December 7, at 6 p.m. when they travel to face Route 11 rival SUNY Canton in a rescheduled game.