CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Cortland women's basketball team clinched the SUNYAC regular-season title for the first time in 12 years with a 97-66 win over visiting Buffalo State.
The Red Dragons (19-4, 15-2 SUNYAC) wrap up the regular season at home versus Geneseo Saturday at 4 p.m. Cortland earns a bye into the SUNYAC tournament semifinals and will host the league's "final four" next Friday and Saturday.
Cortland clinched the title in convincing fashion by tying a program record with 15 made 3-pointers and posting its highest scoring total in more than a decade. The 15 treys match the school record set at home versus SUNYIT in March 2006, and the 97 points are the most since a 103-62 win at SUNYIT in January 2008. Cortland finished the game shooting 15-for-29 (52 percent) from the arc and 54 percent from the field overall.
Maggie Malone (Cornwall) led Cortland with 21 points and seven rebounds, while
Nyia Longford (Medford/Longwood),
Shannon McGuire (West Babylon) and
Casey Travers (Manorville/Eastport-South Manor) scored 16 points apiece.
Malone was 9-for-16 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Longford hit all four of her 3-point attempt and was 6-for-9 overall. She also had three steals, two assists and two blocks. McGuire went 5-of-7 from the field, 4-of-5 from 3-point land, and led the Red Dragons with five assists, while Travers finished 6-for-12 overall and 3-of-7 from the arc and also had four assists and three steals.
Buffalo State (14-9, 11-6 SUNYAC), which defeated Cortland at home three days earlier, was led by Katie Villarini with 18 points, two assists and three blocks. She was 8-for-8 from the foul line. Villarini entered the game ranked fifth nationally in Division III in scoring at 23.2 points per game. She scored 10 points in the first quarter and had 14 at halftime before being held to just four points in the second half. Taylor James totaled 11 points and Tashawni Cornfield added 10 points.
The teams were tied 17-17 late in the first quarter before a Travers scored five points in the final 45 seconds to give Cortland a 22-17 lead. The lead grew to 10 on a Longford layup and Travers 3-pointer in the first two-plus minute of the second quarter. Cortland's lead grew to 15 points with 3:08 left. The Bengals closed to within nine, but another Red Dragon push late in the period made it 48-33 at halftime.
Cortland put the game away with a 17-4 blitz to start the second half. Malone, Travers and McGuire each hit 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the third. Cortland held a 74-43 lead after three quarters and led by at least 24 points the entire fourth quarter.
