CORTLAND, N.Y. – Senior
Garen Spendjian (Glen Cove) recorded career highs of 18 points and eight rebounds as Cortland improved to 2-0 with a 63-51 non-league home victory over Elmira College.
Cortland will host Utica College next Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 6 p.m. The game time has been changed from the originally scheduled 7 p.m. to the 6 p.m. start.
Spendjian hit 6-of-12 shots from the field, including two 3-pointers, in 25 minutes off the bench. Three Red Dragons – sophomore
T.J. Hefele (Greenlawn/Friends Academy), junior
Lamard Herron (Westbury) and sophomore
Blair Estarfaa (Buffalo/Maryvale) – each finished with 11 points. Hefele and Herron led the team with three assists each and senior
Kevin McMahon (Hoosick Falls) recorded seven points and a team-high 14 rebounds.
Neil Randolph paced Elmira (0-3) with 14 points and seven rebounds. Kurt Dutcher and Nick Cesare tallied eight points each. John Mullane and David Borelli matched Randolph with seven rebounds apiece.
Cortland held Elmira to 19 percent shooting from the field in the first half and opened up a 28-16 halftime lead. The Soaring Eagles shot 46 percent in the second half but were unable to make a serious threat until the closing minutes. Cortland shot an identical 9-of-26 from the floor (35 percent) in each half. The Red Dragons, however, made seven 3-pointers to Elmira's three and committed only five turnovers compared to Elmira's 15.
A 10-0 run with eight minutes left in the first half extended Cortland's 14-10 lead to 24-10. The lead grew to 17 at 37-20 on a McMahon jumper with 14:55 left. From that point, the margin fluctuated from 11 to 16 points over the next 11 minutes until Elmira finally pulled to within single digits at 54-45 on a Randolph 3-point play with 3:02 on the clock.
The Soaring Eagles drew within eight on Derek Vogel's 3-point play with 2:06 left, but on Cortland's next possession Herron was fouled and hit the first of two free throws. Cortland got the offensive rebound after the second shot missed, and Herron scored on a driving layup with 1:46 left and the Red Dragons led by 11. The lead remained in double figures after that sequence.
Box Score/Play-by-Play
