BROCKPORT, N.Y. – Devonn Gavin scored 16 points and Clifton Lyerly finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as Brockport defeated Cortland, 86-73, in SUNYAC men's basketball action. The two squads are now tied for fourth in the league standings with 6-5 records.
Gavin and Lyerly led five double-figure scorers for Brockport (11-7 overall). Levi Pace and Cordell Torres each shot 5-of-7 from the field and finished with 12 points, with Pace also blocking three shots. Matthew Smith added 11 points and shared the team lead with five assists.
Blair Estarfaa (Buffalo/Maryvale) led Cortland (12-6 overall) with 16 points and seven rebounds. He hit 4-of-10 attempts from 3-point range.
JP Reagan (Cortland) went 6-for-9 from the floor, 3-of-5 from the arc, and ended with 15 points, while
T.J. Hefele (Greenlawn/Friends Academy) hit 4-of-7 from long distance and scored 14 points.
James Morales (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) grabbed four rebounds and led the Red Dragons with three assists.
Brockport shot 53 percent from the field. The Golden Eagles made 7-of-21 3-pointers and 15-of-16 from the foul line. Cortland connected on 47 percent of its treys (15-of-32), but only made 10-of-29 shots from inside the arc and ended at 41 percent from the field overall.
Cortland trailed 19-13 in the first half before going on a 17-0 run in just over four minutes to take a 30-19 lead with 7:41 remaining. Reagan scored eight points and Estarfaa seven during that stretch. Brockport, however, answered with a 16-0 run over the next four-plus minutes to grab a 35-30 lead with 3:29 left.
The hosts led 41-36 at halftime and quickly built a 13-point lead at 50-37 just 1:12 into the second half. Cortland rallied, however, and eventually took a 62-61 lead on a Hefele 3-pointer with 11:38 left. The Red Dragons also led 64-63 on a Reagan bucket with 9:08 left, but Lyerly hit layups at the 8:48 and 6:27 marks to go up by three. Cortland made one foul shot before Pat Modzelewski and Smith hit 3-pointers to give Brockport a 73-65 lead with 5:09 on the clock.
Cortland got no closer than five the rest of the way. The Red Dragons trailed by seven with just under two minutes left before the Golden Eagles scored the game's final six points.
Cortland will host Buffalo State Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Fredonia Saturday at 4 p.m. in league action.
