NEW PALTZ, N.Y. - The Cortland women's basketball team cut a 13-point deficit to one over the final nine minutes but just fell short as the nationally ranked Red Dragons lost at New Paltz, 57-55.
 
Cortland (16-3, 11-1 SUNYAC) and New Paltz (17-2, 11-1 SUNYAC) are tied for first in the SUNYAC standings with six games remaining. The Red Dragons, ranked 22nd nationally by D3hoops.com and 20th by the WBCA, had their 14-game win streak halted and lost for the first time since Nov. 21.
 
Cortland was down 47-37 with 8:44 left and 50-39 with 6:18 on the clock. Baskets by Brooke Tillotson (Marathon), Kaeli McAnally (Islip) and Sam Dembinsky (Wallkill) cut the deficit to five at 50-45 with less than five minutes left.
 
Brianna Fitzgerald hit a 3-pointer with less than four minutes left to push the New Paltz lead to eight, but McAnally scored with two and a half minutes left and Dembinsky scored on a putback with less than a minute and a half remaining to make it 53-49.
 
Neither team scored again until the Hawks' Karly Wittenbauer hit one free throw with 24 seconds left to extend the lead to five. Jackie Funk (Penfield) scored on a drive with 18 seconds left to draw the Red Dragons within three and, after one Sierra Carter foul shot for the hosts with 16 ticks left, Joleen Lusk (Cherry Valley/Cherry Valley-Springfield) hit a layup with 11.8 seconds remaining to cut the lead to two at 55-53.
 
Wittenbauer was fouled and hit one foul shot with 10.8 seconds left. After a timeout, Cortland's Mariah Huss (Buffalo/Sacred Heart Academy) just missed the mark on a potential game-tying, off-balance 3-pointer from the right side. Tillotson scored off the rebound and Cortland trailed 56-55 with 1.9 seconds left. Fitzgerald was fouled with 0.4 seconds left and hit the first of two free throws. She missed the second and Cortland grabbed the rebound, and initially time ran out. The officials, after a review, set the clock at 0.1 seconds. Cortland advanced the ball after a timeout but did not have enough time left to officially attempt a shot.
 
New Paltz led 12-10 after one quarter and extended its lead to 27-21 at halftime and 45-34 after three quarters. The Hawks shot 44 percent from the floor, but just 3-for-10 in the fourth quarter. Cortland, conversely, shot 63 percent (10-of-16) in the fourth quarter but finished the game at just 38 percent overall, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range.
 
Lusk led Cortland with 12 points and seven rebounds, Tillotson registered 11 points and five rebounds, and Funk had eight points and two blocks. Fitzgerald paced the Hawks with 17 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Wittenbauer and Hannah Vanderzee each scored 10 points and Kayden Cornell made 3-of-4 shots and ended with eight points.
 
Cortland will host Plattsburgh Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Potsdam Saturday at 2 p.m. in conference contests.