CHESTER, PA. – Lamar Jackson scored 16 points and tournament MVP Perry Wright finished with 13 points, six assists, four steals and five rebounds as Widener University edged Cortland, 78-74, in the championship game of Widener's Tip-Off Classic.

Junior guards Jesse Winter (Rockville Centre/South Side) and Jeremy Smith (Bronx/Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy) led Cortland (2-1) with 21 points apiece and junior Brian Manning (Elmira/Southside) finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Winter and Manning were named to the all-tournament team, along with Jackson and Wright, Delaware Valley's Jeremy Beckett and Penn St. Mt. Alto's Dan Smay.

Junior Harrison Hefele (Greenlawn/Friends Academy) led Cortland with five assists and shared the team lead with six rebounds.  Winter hit 3-of-6 three-pointers and 10-of-11 free throws, while Smith made 3-of-7 treys and 8-of-15 total shots from the floor.

Cortland led 28-18 with eight minutes left in the first half, but the Pride whittled the Red Dragon lead to four at halftime, 42-38. Widener opened a 56-46 lead less than eight minutes into the second half, but Cortland quickly responded with eight straight points, including three each by Winter and Manning, and trailed 56-54 with 11:07 left.

The game remained close the rest of the way. Cortland eventually took a 68-67 lead on two Manning free throws with 4:32 left, but the Pride used an 8-1 run to grab a 75-69 lead with 1:30 left. The Red Dragons got back to within three at 77-74 on Smith's three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining. Jack Brennan hit the second of two free throws with 12 seconds left to extend the lead to four and Cortland missed its last two three-pointers in the closing moments.

Cortland is idle until it travels to Ithaca College on Tuesday, Nov. 29, for an 8 p.m. non-league game.

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