Oswego, NY – The SUNY Brockport men's basketball team concluded its season on Friday, falling to Oneonta, 64-54, in the SUNYAC Semifinals. Down 15 at halftime, Brockport roared back in the second half to cut the deficit to as little as two points but couldn't complete the comeback.
Jahidi Wallace scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Green and Gold, as the team's leading scorer on the night.
Mekhi Beckett finished with 14 points and eight boards, while
David Grady III added 11 points and seven boards.
The Oneonta Red Dragons had a big first half, thanks to Dylan Trombley's hot hand offensively. Trombley scored 23 of his game-high 30 points in the first, while Oneonta held a slight edge for most of the period. After giving up an early lead, Brockport would make a nice run to tie the score up at 19-19 with less than 10 minutes until halftime. However, Oneonta's three-point shooting was difficult to overcome as the team shot 7-for-16 from deep in the first half. The Golden Eagles entered halftime trailing, 41-26.
Brockport made a focused effort to take away the deep ball in the second half, holding Oneonta without a 3-pointer (0-for-8). This allowed the team to slowly chip away at the lead with finishes at the rim and converting at the foul line. Brockport held its opponent scoreless for the first four minutes of the half, cutting the deficit to single digits. With 9:53 on the clock, the Golden Eagles had closed the gap to make it a 48-46 game. However, The Red Dragons were able to make some timely baskets to stall Brockport's momentum going into the final stretch. Brockport was unable to get over the hump, as the comeback came up short.
The No. 2 seeded Oneonta received 30 points and five steals from Dylan Trombley who led the way after an incredible first half. The Red Dragons advance to the SUNYAC Championship on Saturday, where they will face the No. 1 seeded Oswego State Lakers.
The defending SUNYAC Champion Golden Eagles were dethroned on the night, in their eighth consecutive appearance in the semifinals. As the No. 3 seed, they finished the season 18-8 overall and went 12-6 in the SUNYAC during the regular season.
