Oneonta Improves to 8-1; Wheaton to Face SUNYIT Tomorrow

Portions of this release courtesy of SUNY Oneonta Sports Information

Game 2 - Tuesday, December 22
SUNY Oneonta 78 vs. Wheaton 68  box score / game recap

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. - SUNY Oneonta claimed the 2009 ECAC December Holiday Festival crown with a 78-68 win over Wheaton College. The victory improves their record to 8-1; matching its best start in over 10 years. Brian Beckford (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) continued his stellar play around the hoop netting 18 points and corralling 7 rebounds which earned him Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. Michael Grimes (Albany, N.Y./Catholic Central) matched Beckford's total as he added 18 points and 8 rebounds.

The two teams played a tight first half with neither team holding more than a five point lead at any time during the opening 20 minutes. Grimes scored eight of his 18 in the first half including a layup to close out the first half and give Oneonta a 29-26 lead at the break.

The Red Dragons shot an even 50 percent from the field in the first half and outrebounded the Lyons 20-12.

The game remained close through the first 10 minutes of the second half until Oneonta put together a 13-1 run to break the game open. A made free throw by Beckford at the 5:56 mark gave the Red Dragons a 63-49 lead.

The Lyons made a final push and cut the Oneonta lead to five points on a three point basket by Bruno Naylor, which made the score 71-66 with 56 seconds remaining. From there it became a free throw shooting contest with junior Troy Talbot (Brooklyn/The School of Legal Studies) making 4-of-4 down the stretch for the Red Dragons. Talbot finished the game with 17 points off the bench including 10-of-11 from the charity stripe. Talbot also had a team high six assists to go with a steal.

Grimes led Oneonta today with eight rebounds followed by Beckford's seven boards as Oneonta finished the game with 41 rebounds including 13 off the offensive glass.

The Red Dragons finished the game shooting 55 percent from the floor led by Grime's 6-of-10 and Beckford's 7-of-13.

Most Outstanding Player Brian Beckford with Steve Bamford, ECAC

December ECAC Holiday Festival Bracket

Game 1 - Monday, December 21
SUNYIT 67 vs. SUNY On eonta 78  box score / game recap

The Red Dragons prevailed 78-67, improving their record to 7-1 as SUNYIT drops to 4-2. SUNY Oneonta was led by junior forward Brian Hooks (Cohoes, N.Y./Shaker) who led four Oneonta players in double figures with 18 points while going 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. The Dragons also got contributions in the form of a double-double from senior forward Brian Beckford (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) who totaled 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. SUNYIT was led by Floyd Fitzpatrick Thorne (Brooklyn, N.Y./Paul Smith's) who poured in a game high 19 points.

Game 3 - Wednesday, December 23
Wheaton 58 vs. SUNYIT 70  box score / game recap

In the final contest of the December ECAC Holiday Festival SUNYIT dropped Wheaton, 70-58, behind a tournament-high 22 points from senior guard Diloo Brown (Harlem, N.Y./Technical Careers Institute) and a 20 point, 10 rebound effort from David Golembiowski (Barneveld, N.Y./Holland Patent). The teams saw themselves tied at the half before SUNYIT pulled away late in the second half for the 12 point win. Senior forward Ben Stehle (Newton, Mass./Newton South HS) led the Lyons with 13 points and 11 rebounds.