Hamilton College's Kelcie Zarle '22 poured in a career-high 24 points and the Continentals posted a 76-58 non-conference win against the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Friday night.

The Continentals were playing for the first time since February 2020 after the 2020-21 season was canceled due to the pandemic. Hamilton shot 41 percent (9-22) from 3-point range and held a 50-36 advantage on the glass. The Continentals owned a 22-12 edge over Oneonta in points off turnovers.

The Red Dragons are still searching for their first win after playing three games this season. Oneonta shot 37.5 percent (21-56) from the floor and committed 24 turnovers.

Claire Sehring '22 chipped in 12 points for Hamilton. Tessa Cole '25 had an impressive debut for the Continentals with 11 points, four steals and six assists with no turnovers. Maria Mercado Rengel '24 boasted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Courtney Shay '24 contributed eight points and four assists.

Olivia Dobrovosky paced the Red Dragons with 13 points, four assists and four steals. Nadia Brown, Molly Stephens and Jenna Harclerode registered nine points each, and Harclerode grabbed a team-high nine boards.

Oneonta jumped out to an early 8-3 lead but Hamilton responded with a 12-1 run and didn't trail again. Sehring scored six points and Zarle had four during the spurt. A steal and jumper by Rengel with 1:09 left in the first quarter gave the Continentals their largest lead of eight points at 20-12. Hamilton led 20-14 after the first 10 minutes as the Continentals made 9 of 18 shots from the field.

The Red Dragons drew even for the last time at 25-25 on a layup by Harclerode with 5:01 remaining in the second quarter. A free throw by Sophie Thompson '24 and two more by Zarle put Hamilton in front for good. The end of the half was the Tessa Cole show as she handed out four assists, made a steal and drained a 3-pointer in the final 2:27. The last assist guided Sehring to a layup that beat the buzzer for a 41-36 lead.

The Continentals' lead fluctuated between two and eight points during a sluggish third quarter when the teams combined to attempt 23 free throws. Hamilton took a 55-51 edge into the final 10 minutes.

The Continentals' defense was on display in the fourth quarter as Oneonta made just 3 of 13 shots and turned the ball over seven times. After Amanda Zuntag drew the Red Dragons within four at 57-53 on a jumper with 8:54 to go, Hamilton went on a 19-2 run as Oneonta mustered just one basket over the next eight minutes. A jumper in the paint by Zarle gave the Continentals their first double-digit lead at 64-53 with 6:05 left. Mercado Rengel scored seven of Hamilton's last 12 points including a layup that gave the Continentals their largest lead of the evening of 21 points at 76-55. 

Hamilton is back inside Scott Field House again on Saturday, Nov. 13 for a matchup with St. John Fisher College at 2 p.m.