During the first half of the 2010-11 season, The College at Brockport men's basketball team wouldn't have found a way to win the "tough, ugly games," according to head coach Greg Dunne.

Consider Friday night's come-from-behind, 61-57 home win against State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) rival Oneonta as a sign that Dunne's squad has learned to emerge victorious, regardless of how pretty the game was.

Sophomore Derek Klein (Valley Stream, NY/Long Island Lutheran) made three clutch free throws and the Golden Eagles (5-6 overall, 3-1 SUNYAC) made 11 of their final 12 free throws to cement the win inside Brockport's Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium.

"Coach stresses focus, and that's how we were at the free throw line the whole game," said Klein, who finished with 5 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and, even more importantly, only 1 turnover in 30 minutes on the court.

 
"We're a tough team, that's how we've been all year long. We had a great win against Plattsburgh last weekend. We might start off slow with a bunch of new guys, but we have chemistry now and it's starting to come together."

Klein and the rest of the Golden Eagles backed up that thought Friday night, as Brockport emerged with its fourth win in five games, and Brockport moved within half a game of first in the SUNYAC with the win.

"We did a great job dribble-penetrating, getting to the free throw line and then making our free throws," Dunne said. "We could have folded on numerous occasions, and in fact there were times I thought we would (fold). The first semester, we definitely don't win this game, but we're getting better. As ugly a game as that was, this is the first time I can say we played really ugly and won a game this year."

Brockport started fast and led by as many as nine, 23-14, when junior Kyheem Green (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) buried his only 3-pointer with 6:21 remaining in the first half. Oneonta (5-8, 4-2) went on a torrid 22-1 run over a 7:40 span covering the end of the first half and the beginning of the second to take a 36-24 lead.

That's when junior Gerald Williams (Rochester, NY/Charlotte) and freshman Jon Ivy (Rochester, NY/East) took over. Williams scored 14 of his game-high 20 points after intermission and Ivy added 10 of his career-high 12 points in the second as Brockport outscored Oneonta 37-24.

Williams added four of Brockport's 13 steals while Green finished with 11 points, 6 blocks, 4 rebounds and 3 steals for the Golden Eagles, who connected on 17 of 20 second-half free throw attempts.

Trailing 49-45, Williams buried a '3' and came up with a steal and a layup to give Brockport a 50-49 lead.

Klein then fed Green on a well-timed ally oop layup for a 54-53 lead. Ivy hit his last six free throws and Klein swished a pair to finish the scoring at 61-57.

"We made a concerted effort about free throws (in practice), these guys laugh at how may free throws we have them shoot in practice," Dunne said. "We're shooting them in pressure situations and we're putting some running on the line at the end of practice. If you make your free throws, you don't run, you miss them, you do run, so it's nice to see that they're taking their free throws in practice and then knocking them down when it counts in games."

Brockport returns to action Saturday at 4 p.m. when it hosts New Paltz inside the Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium.