CORTLAND, NY - Aaron Coston (Kerhonkson/Rondout Valley) rattled in the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Cortland men's basketball team overcame a five-point deficit in the final 20 seconds for a 64-63 victory over Plattsburgh on Saturday afternoon in Corey Gymnasium. The Red Dragons improved to 2-4 (1-1 SUNYAC) with the win, while Plattsburgh falls to 3-5 (1-1 SUNYAC).
Coston was the leading scorer, finishing with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Kendall Arcuri (Staten Island/St. Joseph by-the-Sea) had 13 points and nine boards. Jaylen Warmack (Utica/Utica Notre Dame) and Gerrad Beaubrun (Baldwin) each chipped in eight boards, and Chris McDonald (Orchard Park) grabbed six rebounds off the bench.
Kareem Welch had 20 points for the Cardinals, while Franklin Infante had 12 points and six rebounds.
Cortland shot 14-for-27 from beyond the arc as a team, while the Red Dragons held Plattsburgh to just 1-for-13 from deep.
The Red Dragons raced out to a 17-6 lead in the opening eight minutes behind five triples, two by Coston and one each by Arcuri, Beaubrun, and Warmack. Plattsburgh closed to within eight point with just over three minutes left in the half, and ended the half on a 4-0 run, including an elbow jumper by Infante just before the buzzer.
After three scoreless minutes to start the second half, the Cardinals broke the drought with a jumper. Beaubrun immediately responded with a 3-pointer for Cortland. Cortland extended the lead up to 43-35 after a jumper by Coston with 13:33 remaining, but Plattsburgh then scored eight straight points to tie the game at 43-apiece. The game was tied at 47-47 and again at 55-55 after a three-point play from Arcuri with 2:54 remaining. Plattsburgh then went on a 6-1 run to make it 61-56 after a Welch jumper with 24 seconds left.
Coston nailed a 3-pointer, and then a pair of free throws from each team made it 63-61 with 13 seconds left. Plattsburgh then missed two straight free throws with a chance to ice the game and the Red Dragons called a timeout with nine seconds left. Out of the timeout, Cortland tried to find Arcuri in the post for the tying basket. Arcuri dished out to Coston, and the senior fired a triple that bounced softly off the rim before rattling into the basket as time expired for the victory.
