CORTLAND, N.Y. - Senior Carson Niehoff (West Islip) scored seven of his 16 points in overtime as Cortland outlasted SUNYAC foe Buffalo State, 79-70. The Red Dragons improved to 5-7 overall and 2-3 in league action while snapping a four-game losing streak. Buffalo State drops to 4-8 overall and 2-3 in the conference and had a three-game win streak end.

Niehoff also finished with three assists and three blocked shots. Sophomore Ron Evans (New Hartford) also recorded 16 points and three assists and junior Paul Oliver (Phoenix) scored 13 points and hauled in 11 rebounds.

Junior Will Coston (Kerhonkson/Rondout Valley) came off the bench to add 10 points, five steals and four assists and sophomore Steve Manning (Elmira/Elmira Southside) finished with a career-high six assists, five in the first half, and five rebounds.

A.J. White (Rochester/Bishop Kearney) led the visiting Bengals with 20 points and three blocked shots. James Tyndal (Bronx/Msgr. Scanlon) scored 19 points and dished out four assists. Tyndal hit a three-pointer with 27.7 seconds left in regulation to draw Buffalo State within 61-60 and nailed two free throws with 10.8 seconds remaining to tie the game at 62-62 and force overtime.

Buffalo State led 25-12 with 6:05 left in the first half, but Cortland finished the period on a 19-9 run and was within 34-31 at halftime. Oliver scored 10 points and Evans had six points during that late-period stretch.

The Red Dragons trailed 44-38 with 12:26 left after a Jamar Gray (Rochester/Bishop Kearney) layup, but proceeded to go on a 13-0 run over the next four minutes. Evans and Manning hit treys to tie the game and Mike Lewis (Brewerton/Central Square) gave Cortland its first lead since the opening minute of the contest with a layup at the 10:48 mark. Niehoff made three free throws and Coston hit a layup over the next two minutes to complete the run.

Following a Tyndal layup, Cortland took its largest lead at 54-46 on a Coston three-pointer with 7:01 remaining. Buffalo State, however, scored the next nine points, capped by two White jumpers, and led 54-53 with 4:14 left in regulation.

Cortland took a 61-57 lead with 1:08 left in the half when Evans grabbed an offensive rebound and passed the ball out to Niehoff, who buried a three-pointer with the shot clock expiring. Tyndal's heroics, however, sent Cortland to its third overtime game in the last five outings.

Cortland never trailed in the overtime. A Juan Miolan (Troy) layup and a Niehoff trey put Cortland up 67-62 and an Evans three-pointer with 1:47 left extended the lead to 70-64. The lead grew to eight on single free throws by Coston and Miolan. Buffalo State got no closer than five points the rest of the way as the Red Dragons made 7-of-10 free throws - including 4-of-4 by Niehoff - in the final 57 seconds.

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