CORTLAND, N.Y. - SUNYAC co-leader Oswego opened up a 25-point lead early in the second half and held off a comeback attempt by host Cortland to defeat the Red Dragons, 104-94, in men's basketball action.
The Lakers (13-4, 9-1 SUNYAC) were led by Brian Sortino with 22 points and four assists and Jamir Ferebee with 21 points and five assists. Sortino made 6-of-9 attempts from 3-point range and Ferebee went 3-for-5 from the arc. Ian Schupp added 19 points, including 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. Oswego shot 14-of-25 (56 percent) from the 3-point line and 59 percent overall from the field.
Cortland (11-6, 6-4 SUNYAC) had players reach the 20-point mark in the loss.
James Morales (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) and
Carrel Joseph (Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Deer Park (NY)) finished with 25 points apiece, with Joseph's performance a new career high. Joseph made 5-of-8 3-pointers and led the team with seven rebounds.
Justin Cooper (Pine Plains/Stissing Mountain) added 21 points.
Nicky Bonura (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) dished out a career-high six assists, Morales had four assists and three steals, and Cooper finished with three assists and was 11-of-12 from the foul line. Cortland shot 51 percent from the field, including 58 percent in the second half, and was 7-of-20 from the 3-point arc. The Red Dragons made 27-of-30 (90 percent) of their free throws.
Oswego scored the game's first eight points and never trailed. The Lakers led 23-8 on a Ferebee 3-pointer with 12:45 left in the half and eventually held a 59-38 halftime lead on a long Sortino 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Lakers extended their lead to 69-44 on a Sortino trey with 15:42 remaining. Cortland, however, went on a 16-3 run over the next four minutes and pulled to within 12 on a Bonura jumper at the 11:33 mark. The Red Dragons closed their deficit to single digits at 74-65 on a Joseph 3-pointer with just under 10 minutes remaining.
Oswego responded by pushing its lead back to 17 points over the minutes, and the Lakers still held a 13-point advantage at 93-80 with 2:58 left. Cortland made a final surge with a 10-2 streak and only trailed by five at 95-90 on a Morales layup with 1:07 left. Schupp, however, hit two free throws with 1:03 left and a Josh Ivey layup made it a 99-90 lead with 48 seconds left. The lead remained at eight or higher from that point.
Cortland will host Geneseo next Friday at 5:30 p.m.
