Box Score
ONEONTA , NY – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball team used  a fourth quarter comeback to force overtime, but didn't have enough to defeat SUNY Oneonta, 74-69, in the first game of the Oneonta & Hartwick Classic Friday night at Dewar Arena.

Eastern  (0-4) put itself  off to a positive start, especially on the defensive side of the ball. In their last match against Salve Regina, the Warriors allowed just nine points in each of the first two quarters, before giving up a 23-point third quarter. Friday against SUNY Oneonta (2-1), Eastern allowed just 13 points in the first quarter. Despite the low score, 5-foot-10 inch Carlie Young of Oneonta hit a couple of threes early on for the Red Dragons. In a nine-point second quarter, Young started to increase her efficiency from inside the paint and trouble the Warriors. Apart from a jumper just two minutes before the break from six-foot junior Alyssa Paquette (Claremont, NH), all the scoring came from just three Warriors. Junior Marissa Nudd (Colchester), and sophomores Liv Cassesse (Wallingford), and Isabella Romero (Peabody, MA) had 26 of the Warriors' 28 points before halftime.

With under a minute to go in regulation, Nudd secured a crucial offensive rebound and hit the layup over her shoulder to tie the game. With the game winding down, Paquette made a crucial defensive play for the Warriors, blocking a shot by Young (game-highs of 31 points and 13 rebounds), who was hot all night for the Red Dragons. Eastern was able to make another defensive stop, giving itself a chance to win the game on the other end. The Warriors were able to give a decent look to Nudd, who couldn't connect with her jumper, forcing overtime.

Down by five heading into the third, Young and Lydia Boucher hit back-to-back threes to open SUNY Oneonta's lead to 11, the largest of the game. The Warriors responded with an 8-0 run to put themselves back in contention, sparked by first-year player Katelyn Novak (Colchester), who hit her first shot of the game. Novak hit another three later in the quarter, allowing Nudd to cut the lead down to just three once again, but the Red Dragons found themselves up 8 entering the final 10 minutes.

After some back and forth action through the first five minutes of the final quarter, first-year player Maddie Topa (New Hartford) started to turn it on for the Warriors, knocking down a few jumpers and setting the stage for a dramatic finish. Cassesse reacted quickly to a lazy pass from the Red Dragons and finished an easy layup, before Topa followed up with a long jumper to make it a one-possession game.

Addy Eckert finished off an impressive three-point play for the Red Dragons, giving her team the start they were looking for in overtime. Nudd went 1 for 2 at the line and Topa finished off a three-point play of her own after getting a quick steal after the rebound. Cassesse hit a huge transition three-pointer to give the Warriors a 4-point lead, but SUNY Oneonta was able to get themselves level again from the free-throw line. Nudd hit another tough shot to regain the lead for the Warriors, but once again, Carlie Young took over at the other end. Her three-point play contributed to a 31-point game for the Red Dragons. Megan Desrats put in a layup with just 14 seconds left and Young hit two more free-throws to seal the game for Oneonta.

Nudd (24 points/eight rebounds) led Eastern in scoring and rebounding for the fourth time in as many games this year. Cassesse had 18 points (6-for-10 FG), five assists and three steals and Topa (11 points) -- a three-time high school All-Stater with 2,000+ career points -- reached double figures for the first time, sinking five of ten field goals. Paquette matched Nudd with eight rebounds but Eastern  was outrebounded by 16, including by 20-8 on the offensive glass that led to 19 Oneonta second-chance points. The 5-foot-7 inch Desrats followed Young with 11 rebounds, leading all players with six on the offensive end.

The Warriors are back in action Saturday at 2 p.m. against Hartwick College in their second game of the tournament.. Hartwick is coming off a crushing 75-23 defeat against Hamilton College in its first match of the classic.