ONEONTA, N.Y.— Three Buffalo State players tallied double-doubles, led by Liv LeBaron (Corning/Corning East) who finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, as the Bengals escaped with a 73-69 win over host Oneonta to keep their playoff hopes alive.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 73, Oneonta – 69  
LOCATION: Dewar Arena – Oneonta, N.Y.
RECORDS: Buffalo State (12-12/6-11), Oneonta (17-5/11-4)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• LeBaron shot 4 of 9 from behind the 3-point line to lead the Bengals in scoring. 
• Katie Villarini (Hamburg/Hamburg) matched a career-high with 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds, while Princella McCullough (Rochester/Bishop Keaney) added 13 points and 12 rebounds.
• Grace Licata (Williamsville/Williamsville South) chipped in eight points and seven rebounds.
• After Oneonta opened the game by scoring the first five points, Buffalo State responded by closing the frame on a 7-3 run to trim the deficit to 14-12 after 10 minutes of action.
• The Bengals continued their momentum to start the second quarter by tallying a layup from McCullough and a 3-pointer from LeBaron to claim their first lead, 17-14 at the 7:34 mark of the stanza.
• Buffalo State maintained its slim lead for the remainder of the first half as it took a 26-24 advantage into halftime.
• The Bengals extended their lead to 36-26 with just over six minutes left in the third frame by opening the third quarter on a 10-2 run.
• Oneonta slowly chipped away at the lead until a three-point play cut the deficit to 44-42 with 30 seconds left in the third frame.
• Licata tallied one of her two 3-point field goals on the next possession to give Buffalo State a 47-42 lead at the final intermission.
• After a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Bengals used a 3-pointer by LeBaron with 2:01 remaining in the contest to take a 64-55 lead.
• Oneonta responded with a run of its own to cut into at the lead and used a late 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 70-68.
•  Buffalo State closed the game with a pair of free throws by Villarini to escape with the win.
• The Bengals held a 52-40 advantage in rebounding while shooting 41 percent from the floor.
• Oneonta outscored Buffalo State 22-12 in points off turnovers and 14-4 in bench productions.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Alexa Amalbert led the Red Dragons in scoring with 18 points to go along with four assists.
• Madeline Frank chipped in 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.  

 
UP NEXT                 
Buffalo State closes out its regular season next Saturday as it hosts Fredonia in a "Battle by the Lake" showdown at 2 p.m. The Bengals faces a must-win and will need further help in order to secure the sixth and final playoff spot in the SUNYAC playoff.