CORTLAND, N.Y. - Senior Carson Niehoff (West Islip) scored 24 points and was one of four Cortland double-figure scorers as the Red Dragons beat Plattsburgh, 74-66, at Corey Gymnasium. Cortland is 10-10 overall and 7-4 in SUNYAC play with the win. The defending league champion Cardinals are 6-15 and 4-9.

Junior Will Coston (Kerhonson/Rondout Valley) scored 12 points and recorded four assists for the Red Dragons. Junior Mike Lewis (Brewerton/Central Square) added 10 points and nine rebounds and junior Paul Oliver (Phoenix) finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Errol Daniyan (Coram/Longwood) led Plattsburgh with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Ruiz (Bronx/St. Agnes) scored 13 points, 10 in the second half, and Danny Tangney (Chester/Monroe-Woodbury) finished with 10 points.

Cortland quickly turned a 25-13 lead into a 34-13 advantage when sophomore Ron Evans (New Hartford) buried three straight three-pointers in a just over a one-minute span from the 8:38 mark to the 7:35 mark of the first half. The Red Dragons were still up 46-30 after a Lewis tip-in with 2:29 left, but Plattsburgh scored the final five points of the half on a RJ Ponesse (Wallkill) layup and a Tim Havens (Brooklyn/Frederick Douglass) three-pointer and trailed 46-35 at halftime.

The Red Dragons pushed their lead back to 20 at 58-38 with 13:01 left, fueled by three Lewis baskets and two by Niehoff, but Plattsburgh outscored the Red Dragons 22-5 over the next 8:06 and were behind just 63-60 with 4:55 left. Daniyan scored 10 points during that run and Brad Mader's (Greensboro, VT/Hardwick Hazen Union) hit the layup that finished the stretch.

Two Juan Miolan (Troy) free throws with 4:36 left and a Niehoff three-pointer at the 4:01 mark pushed the lead to eight. Two Ruiz field goals, sandwiched around one Cortland free throw, kept the Cardinals within five points with 2:15 left. Plattsburgh, however, was forced to gamble defensively and Oliver took advantge with a wide open layup with 1:58 left to give Cortland a 71-64 lead.

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