CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland fell behind 11-0 six minutes into the game and got no closer than six points the rest of the way as the Red Dragons lost at home to SUNYAC leader New Paltz, 64-46.
Cortland is now 18-4 overall and remains in second place in the league with a 13-2 record. New Paltz won its 15th straight game to improve to 18-3 overall and 14-0 in the conference.
Brianna Fitzgerald led New Paltz with 31 points on 11-of-24 shooting. She also recorded seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Abby Korzekwinski finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds and Graci Serravillo ended with five points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Maggie Malone (Cornwall) and
Fiona Mullen (Orangeburg/Tappan Zee) led Cortland with eight points apiece and
Sarah Tully (East Aurora) scored seven points. Mullen also totaled a career-high six rebounds and a career-high tying three steals.
Nyia Longford (Medford/Longwood) led the Red Dragons with nine rebounds.
New Paltz shot 48 percent in the first half and finished the game at 39 percent. Cortland shot 36 percent in the first half but only 21 percent after halftime to end at 27 percent.
Korzekwinski scored six points during the Hawks' game-opening run. Cortland fought back to within 16-10 at the end of the quarter after a Mullen layup with 36 seconds left. New Paltz, however, scored the first six points of the second quarter - all by Fitzgerald - to take a 22-10 lead. Cortland pulled back to within eight twice in the period and trailed by nine, 34-25, at halftime, but the Hawks scored the first basket of the third quarter and led by 10-18 points the rest of the game.
Following the game, Cortland honored eight seniors - Malone, Mullen, Tully, Longford,
Stef Gera (Auburn),
Flo Hunte (Elmont/Sewanhaka),
Julia Siler (Seaford) and
Casey Travers (Manorville/Eastport-South Manor).
Cortland travels to Oswego next Saturday for a 6 p.m. game. The start time was originally 2 p.m. before being moved, and the women's game will now follow the men's 4 p.m. game that afternoon.
