ONEONTA, N.Y.— Liv LeBaron (Corning/Corning East) scored a team-high 26 points to go along with seven rebounds, while Katie Villarini (Hamburg/Hamburg) added 15 points on 3 of 8 shooting from distance as Buffalo State closed the contest on a 10-0 run to clinch a 73-58 victory over host Oneonta in SUNYAC action this afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 73, Oneonta – 58
LOCATION: Dewar Arena – Oneonta, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State (9-6/5-3), Oneonta (6-10/3-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- LeBaron, the SUNYAC's leading scorer, finished 7 of 15 from the floor and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line.
- Villarini also chipped in four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
- Tori Hackett (Canandaigua/Canandaigua) added 10 points and six rebounds, while Anasah DeMember (Elmira Elmira) tallied six points, four rebounds and two steals.
- Oneonta jumped out to an early 12-6 lead in the first five minutes of action, but the Bengals closed the first quarter on a 15-8 run to take a 21-20 lead at the first intermission.
- Buffalo State outscored the Red Dragons 20-13 in the second frame, including a combined 15 points from LeBaron and Villarini, to claim a 41-33 lead at halftime.
- The Bengals pushed the lead to 13 points on multiple occasions in the third quarter, but a late free throw by Oneonta trimmed the deficit to 53-43 at the final intermission.
- After the Red Dragons connected on a jumper to cut the lead to 63-58 with 3:04 remaining, Buffalo State rattled off 10-unanswered points in the final 2:49 to complete the win. LeBaron and DeMember finished a combined 6 of 8 from the charity stripe during that stretch.
- Buffalo State shot 47 percent from the floor, including 67 percent in the fourth frame, while holding a 24-9 edge in points off of turnovers.
- Oneonta outrebounded the Bengals 43-30, but finished 4 for 21 from behind the three-point line.
FOR THE FOES
- Clara Culeton paced the Red Dragons with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Casey Hayes added 12 points and nine rebounds.
NOTEWORTHY
- Liv LeBaron is now only eight points away from breaking into the top-five all-time in scoring in program history. LeBaron has tallied 1,211 points in 67 career games at Buffalo State.
- With the win, Buffalo State moved into a tie for third place in the SUNYAC with Geneseo and is 2 ½ games behind New Paltz for second place.
UP NEXT
Buffalo State returns to the Sports Arena on Tuesday as it hosts Brockport in a SUNYAC contest at 5:30 p.m.