ITHACA, N.Y. – Kareem Lubin (Monroe/Washingtonville) and Austin Grunder (Trumansburg/Charles O. Dickerson) each recorded double-doubles as the Cortland men's basketball team opened its season with an 82-80 non-league win at Ithaca College.
 
Lubin finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. He made 7-of-15 shots from the floor. Grunder ended with 16 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. AJ Lawton (Saratoga Springs) connected on 6-of-11 3-pointers for 18 points and Riley McEvoy (Homer) added 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Humberto Cabrera (Millbrook) and Isaiah Preston (Penfield) matched Lubin for the team lead with four assists apiece.
 
Logan Wendell paced Ithaca (0-1) with 26 points, followed by Zach Warech with 16 points and Luka Radovich with 11 points and six rebounds. Liam Spellman led the Bombers with seven rebounds and three assists.
 
Lawton made five of his six 3-pointers in the first half. Three of those came in the final four minutes and helped Cortland take a 44-36 halftime lead. The Red Dragons never trailed in the second half, but couldn't put the Bombers away either.
 
Cortland led 77-68 on Preston's layup with 3:19 left before Ithaca went on an 10-2 run over the next 2:45. Wendell's layup with 35 seconds remaining drew the hosts within a point at 79-78. Lubin made two free throws with 19 seconds left, but Ithaca quickly responded with a Triston Wennersten layup with 13 seconds left to once again trail by a point. After Lubin made one of two free throws with 11 seconds remaining, Ithaca called timeout. The Bombers missed a fall-away jumper from the left side and Cortland gained possession with 0.7 seconds left. The Red Dragons successfully inbounded the ball from the baseline to run out the clock.
 
Cortland shot 46 percent from the floor overall and 41 percent (11-of-27) from 3-point land. Ithaca finished at 44 percent overall and 38 percent (8-of-21) from the arc.
 
The Red Dragons return to action this Friday and Saturday at Nazareth's Mike Daley Memorial Tournament. Cortland faces Union Friday at 5:30 p.m. and will play either Nazareth or Gordon Saturday at 1 or 3 p.m.