POTSDAM, N.Y. - Head Oneonta men's basketball coach Cameron Conover recorded his 100th-career win following a 76-71 SUNYAC win over Potsdam on Friday evening. The Red Dragons now move to 16-8 overall and 12-5 in the conference, while the Bears fall to 8-15 and 6-11 in the SUNYAC. 

"That was a gutsy win, and I am proud of this group," said head coach Conover. " We had many guys out tonight, and everyone stepped up big time."

Oneonta took a 7-3 lead after sophomore Graham Wooden (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) drained a three-pointer at 16:19. Three straight triples from Potsdam carried the Bears to a seven-point lead. Layups from Elijah Castillo (Bronx, NY/St. Raymonds) and Caleb Brown (Brooklyn, NY/Uncommon Charter) broke the Bears' streak to cut the game to 14-11. 

An 8-0 Red Dragons' run gave Oneonta a 21-16 advantage, but Potsdam kept the game within single digits. The Bears tied 28-2 at 3:47 following a jumper from Brandon Segar Jr., and it was a back-and-forth affair until Potsdam closed out the half on a 5-0 run to lead 37-35. 

Potsdam carried over into the second half with an 8-0 run before Oneonta could get back on the board. Inside scores from Brown and Joseph Bull (Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael Academy), and then a triple by Brown lessened the lead to 47-42. The Red Dragons continued to chip away, and sophomore Frankie Williams (Bronx, NY/Fannie Lou) sank a trey at 11:32 to cut the lead to two. After Segar scored inside, Castillo netted a basket to spur a 6-0 span to retake the lead. 

The Bears' Parker Kelly hit a shot from downtown to begin a 7-0 response as Potsdam went up 58-53.

Oneonta answered with a run to tie, and then Daniel Derice (Tampa, FL/Wesley Chapel) hit a three-pointer at 6:15 to take a 61-60 lead. Potsdam stayed close until another Derice triple pushed the Oneonta lead to five. A layup from Williams at 1:08 put the Red Dragons at 74-69, and the defense held in the end. 

Derice recorded a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds on 9-of-16 shooting. He also shot 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Williams added 16 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals, while Castillo scored a career-high 16 points with five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. 

Segar scored 22 points, while Ahamadou added 21 points and six rebounds. 

Oneonta closes out the regular season on Sat. Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. at Plattsburgh.