NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Junior Jeremy Smith (Bronx/Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy) scored 17 points and junior Brian Manning (Elmira/Southside) recorded 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds as Cortland outlasted New Paltz, 69-60. With the win, Cortland (15-6 overall) moves into a tie for second place with Buffalo State in the SUNYAC standings with a 10-4 league record and four games remaining.

Sophomore Kevin McMahon (Hoosick Falls) finished with 12 points and junior Harrison Hefele (Greenlawn/Friends Academy) added 11 points and eight rebounds. Smith and junior Jesse Winter (Rockville Centre/South Side) shared the team lead with three assists each and junior Dan Sternkopf (Washingtonville) blocked three shots.

Matt Devine and Shalik Jenkins led New Paltz (8-14, 5-10 SUNYAC) with 18 points apiece. Devine also hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds. Harris Wichard finished with 14 points and six rebounds and Alan Siergiej dished out four assists.

Cortland led 35-21 late in the first half and went into the locker room with a 37-25 halftime lead. New Paltz made a few runs at the Red Dragons in the second half. The Hawks pulled within five at 47-42 with 12:41 left, but a Manning layup and three-pointer, sandwiched around two Winter free throws, put the Red Dragons up by 12 with 10:55 left.

Trailing 58-47 with 5:16 on the clock, the hosts used two Devine free throws and four straight points by Jenkins to cut Cortland's lead to five with 2:38 remaining. Each team either turned the ball over or missed a shot on its next two possessions. With 1:02 left, New Paltz players were whistled for both a personal foul and a technical foul. Hefele made three of his four free throws to extend the lead to eight, and one second later Winter, after being fouled, hit one foul shot to give Cortland a 62-53 lead.

The Hawks eventually cut their deficit to five on a Jenkins three-point play with 37 seconds left. Smith answered with two foul shots at the 34-second mark, followed by two Manning free throws with 22 seconds left and two more Smith charity tosses with 13 seconds remaining to give Cortland a 69-58 lead.

New Paltz shot only 33 percent from the field in the first half, but hit 54 percent of its shots in the final 20 minutes. Cortland shot 44 percent in the opening half but only 27 percent in the second half.

Cortland will play at Oneonta on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Box Score/Play-by-Play