CORTLAND, N.Y. – Senior
Harrison Hefele (Greenlawn/Friends Academy) scored a career-high 21 points, including 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range, as Cortland improved to 3-0 with an 84-67 non-league win over visiting Ithaca College.
Hefele also finished with seven rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes and was one of four Cortland double-figure scorers. Senior
Jesse Winter (Rockville Centre/South Side) totaled 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, senior
Jeremy Smith (Bronx/Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy) added 15 points, four steals and three assists and senior
Brian Manning (Elmira/Southside) came off the bench to record 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Ithaca (1-2) was led by Andrei Oztemel's 23 points. He made 7-of-12 shots, 4-of-9 from the three-point arc. Frank Mitchell hit 6-of-8 shots in a 15-point, 12-rebound effort. Travis Warech finished with 12 points and Sean Rossi totaled 11 points and five assists.
Cortland shot 47 percent from the floor (24-of-51) and 73 percent from the foul line (27-of-37), compared to Ithaca's 41 percent from the field (23-of-56) and 67 percent from the line (14-of-21). The Red Dragons hit 9-of-22 three-pointers (41 percent) and Ithaca was 7-of-26 from the arc (27 percent).
The Red Dragons led 31-17 with 4:58 left in the first half after a Hefele three-pointer. Ithaca scored the next 10 points to pull within 31-27 with 1:21 left and missed a three-pointer on its next possession that would have cut the lead to one. Cortland responded with a
Lamard Herron (Westbury) three-point play with 42 seconds left and a deep Manning three-pointer in the closing seconds of the half to take a 37-27 lead.
Cortland's lead fluctuated from 10 to 18 points for a majority of the second half. Ithaca did close to within nine points on a Rossi three-pointer with 2:27 left, but Cortland made its final 12 free throws, including six by Winter, to pull away.
Cortland, which has opened the season with three wins versus Empire 8 teams, will host Potsdam Friday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m. to begin SUNYAC play.
Box Score/Play-by-Play
