BUFFALO, N.Y. – Roderick Epps hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in regulation and Buffalo State went on to defeat Cortland, 90-83 in overtime, in a SUNYAC matchup.
Cortland (11-8) and Buffalo State (10-9) are now part of a four-way tie for fourth place in the SUNYAC standings, along with Oswego and Oneonta, with 6-6 league records.
Chris Thompson led the host Bengals with 22 points, six in overtime, seven rebounds and four steals. Epps scored 21 points and grabbed five boards, Maurice Miles added 16 points and Justin Mitchell finished with 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Buffalo State shot 64 percent from the field, including 76 percent in the second half (19-of-25) and 3-for-3 in overtime. Thompson made 10-of-13 shots, Epps was 7-of-10 and Miles went 6-for-7. The Bengals were 4-of-8 from 3-point range and 16-of-31 from the foul line.
Five Cortland players scored in double figures. Junior
Lamard Herron (Westbury) scored 17 points, handed out seven assists and grabbed five rebounds. He was 4-of-7 from the 3-point arc. Senior
Kevin McMahon (Hoosick Falls) totaled 17 points and eight rebounds and sophomore
T.J. Hefele (Greenlawn/Friends Academy) finished with a career-high 16 points. Sophomore
Blair Estarfaa (Buffalo/Maryvale) added 14 points and junior
Matt McGowan (Lake George) scored 11 points and matched his career best with 10 rebounds.
Cortland shot 43 percent overall and 47 percent (9-for-19) from the arc. The Red Dragons hit 22-of-27 free throws (82 percent).
Thompson tied the game at 71-71 on a layup with 59 seconds left in regulation. Estarfaa gave Cortland the lead with a 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining, but Epps tied the game with a trey from the right corner. Cortland held for the final possession but was unable to get a shot off.
The Bengals scored the first seven points of the extra session on a Thompson layup, an Epps steal and dunk, two Jordan Glover free throws and a Miles foul shot and led 81-74 with 1:51 left. The lead grew to 10 with 1:11 left after two free throws by Epps. The closest Cortland got after that was six on two Hefele foul shots with 25 seconds remaining.
Cortland led by as many as 14 points in the first half at 24-10 with 10:35 left and was still up 32-22 with 3:26 on the clock. The Bengals, however, got back to within five at halftime, 34-29, and eventually took a 49-48 lead on a Miles jumper with 11:17 left in the second half.
The lead changed hands five times over the next seven minutes. Cortland grabbed a 65-64 lead on a Hefele 3-pointer with 4:25 left and extended the margin to four when Hefele connected again from the arc with 3:40 left. The lead was at four again on an Estarfaa 3-pointer with 2:07 left, but Thompson answered with two baskets, including the tying hoop at the 59-second mark.
Cortland will host New Paltz on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m.
Box Score/Play-by-Play
