Junior Ali Canale matched her career high with 15 points
3/9/2008
ONEONTA, N.Y. - Senior Sara Cavanaugh (Hastings-on-Hudson/Hastings) scored 18 points to lead the Cortland women's basketball team to a 65-53 win over host Oneonta Sunday afternoon in the title game of the ECAC Upstate New York Championship. The top-seeded visiting Red Dragons concluded their season with a 24-6 record and claimed their first ECAC Upstate New York title. Oneonta finished its season with a 20-9 mark.
Along with her 18 points, Cavanaugh, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, added four rebounds and three assists. Junior Ali Canale (Oswego) matched her career high of 15 points established in yesterday's semifinal win over Oswego and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior Maggie Byrne (Pearl River/Albertus Magnus) contributed 10 points and six assists, and sophomore Jessica Laing (Bloomville/South Kortright) recorded nine points and seven caroms.
Sara Chrystie led Oneonta with 12 points, Shannon Weir had 10 points and five rebounds and Kerri Swails came off the bench to score 10 points.
Cortland jumped out to an 8-0 lead before Oneonta battled back to take a 14-12 lead just past the midpoint of the first half. The visiting Red Dragons then went on a 16-4 run to seize a 28-18 lead with 54 seconds left in the opening 20 minutes. Oneonta closed to within 28-22 at intermission and got to within 32-27 early in the second half, but Cortland steadily pulled away to build a 56-35 lead with 9:17 remaining. The closest Oneonta got the rest of the way was to within 61-50 with 3:19 left.