Cortland nearly clinches regular season conference title with Saturday 65-58 matinee victory at Oswego. RDragons 15-1 league mark with road trips to Fredonia (Tuesday) and Friday (Morrisville) remaining. Current runnersup Oswego and Oneonta 13-3.
    Corts off to hot start in downing Lakers for the second time albeit "easier" than initial double OT escape. Rematch sees Dragons spot hosts 2-0 lead, then post the next nine and never trail. Buoyed by inside work of senior A. Coston's early bullying, Cortland hit 50 percent of its fielders enroute to 32-22 lead at half. Withstand Laker freshman F. Fowler early offense. CSt posts another 50 percent in the final period and seizes 61-46 lead with 4:13 left.
    Coston exceeds previous night's career best 29 points with 32 (13-15fg, 5x5ft, 14reb, 35'). Others turn in strong defensive play and timely scoring. K. Arcuri, 14reb, 38'; J. Davis 8pts, 10 reb, 3assts, 34'; G. Armbrewster 8pts (4x4fg, 31'). Laker Fowler winds up 23pts (8x12fg, 5x7 3s, 38'); S. Bradley 12pts (4x9fg, 3x6 3s, 16'). All-star pivot D. Judd feels wrath of counterpart Coston maneuvering and sits good part of first half in foul peril. Is 2x6fg, 5reb in 22'. Lakers 20x58fg, 10x29 3s to Dragons 25x49fg, 4x12 3s. Corts 43-27 board advantage.
    Cortland, Oswego both 19-4 overall

  Plattsburgh 91, Fredonia 89
Canton 85, Morrisville 79
Buffalo St. 83, Potsdam 73

Cortland and Oswego head into Saturday afternoon clash in Oswego with conference top spot at stake. Both won Friday night tests in contrasting ways ...Corts 86-63 romp at Canton while Oswego needs OT in 101-93 dispatch of visiting Morrisville.

    Cortland snares 10th win in a row with solid shooting night ...51fg percent, 45 percent 3s (9x20). Grab 49-33 lead at half and never threatened. A. Coston 29pts (11x14fg, 3x3 3s, 6reb, 25'); N. Raymond 15pts (6x10fg, 2x4 3s, 6reb, 23'; X. Leveille 10reb, 20'. RDragons 16assts, 42-29reb gap. Roos' L. Johnson 23pts (9x15fg, 4x8 3s, 12reb).
    Corts 14-1, 18-4 with three road games left. Canton 3-12, 4-18

    Oswego for second straight game goes OT (wins at Canton previous week). Lakers latest conquest requires 36x41 free throwing, 54-40 board advantage vs. pesky Mustangs. Let 72-55 lead slip away in final 12 minutes of regulation. J. Moorehead bucket at 0:15 reaches OT for Morrisville at 86-86. Cash pivotal FTs in extra frame. D. Judd 23pts (8x16fg, 9reb); A. Foster 24pts (13x14ft, 13reb); J. McGhee 22pts for Lakers. Five Mustangs in double figures, B. Wingate 21pts (8x13fg, 5pf, 27'). M'ville 52fg percent. Lakers 42-36 halftime edge.
    Oswego 13-2, 19-3. Morrisville 8-8, 9-14

Buffalo St. upsets Plattsburgh 66-64. O. DeJesus delivers two decisive hoops over final 1:04. Bengals check recent scoring whiz R. Welch to 12 pts over 40'.

Fredonia nips Potsdam 79-78 on M. Garza deuce at 0:01. Pdam by 11 at 3:27. Garza 23 pts. M. Hancock 26 for victimized Bears.

Oneonta 78, New Paltz 55. Oneonta 13-3, 15-8, NP 9-7, 11-12

Cortland closing in on season opener Feb. 19 in D3 Showcase event in Greensboro NC where extended forecast is for sunny/partly cloudy skies and temps near 70. RDragons -- 13th in D3 media preseason poll, pre-conference slate of 16 games typically tough. Start with Marietta OH, then over next three days draw ranked Lynchburg VA, Christopher Newport VA and ranked Denison OH.
    Other stops include Philly area, Jersey, Baltimore, Pennsy, and mid-March Berry GA Invite. Foes along that trail include ranked Rowan NJ (dh), Kean NJ, ranked Johns Hopkins (dh) and NYU. Begin SUNYAC duty March 20-21 at home vs. Plattsburgh.
    Dragons, recently back from weeklong trip to Dominican Republic, favored to repeat as conference king according to coaches' preseason poll. Sure-to-be conference contender Oswego debuts Feb. 21-22 in three game set in Cleveland OH vs. ranked host Case Western Reserve.
 

Cortland blitzes Potsdam 104-41 in RDragons regular season home finale, and Senior Day for A. Coston, K. Arcuri, I. Austin, G. Armbruster. All had starting hands keeping Corts atop the conference. Tis 51-9 at Saturday intermission. Register 26 assists and hit 49 percent (20x41) in 3s. J. Davis 23pts (9x14fg, 3x5 3s, 11reb); Austin 17pts (6x12fg, 5x9 3s); Coston 14pts (6x9fg, 2x4 3s, 10reb, 8assts, 3blks); X Leveille 9pts (3x5 3s); Arcuri 9pts (3x6 3s, 9reb). Pdam's T. Hardy 10pts, 5reb.
    Cortland 13-1, 17-4 Friday at Canton, Saturday at Oswego. Potsdam 1-13, 1-20

Plattsburgh's Reem Welch scores 49 points and final hoop in Cardinals 100-98 win at Morrisville. Welch 14x24fg, 0x3 3s, 21x23ft, 40'. M'ville 50-47 at half. Welch with 36 previous night in loss at Cortland.

New Paltz 94, Fredonia 69
Oneonta 67, Buffalo St. 55

Tale of two halfs in Cortland where homestanding RDragons come from 34-26 first half deficit to eventually trounce Plattsburgh 81-62 for CSt eighth straight win. Maintains conference lead with five games to play including Saturday home finale vs. Potsdam.
  Meanwhile up north, second place Oswego needs overtime to stop Canton 103-97 on Stan Cohen Court.
  Cortland and Pburgh swap shooting periods. SUNYAC scoring leader Cardinal R. Welch nets 14 of his 36 points in the opening half while Dragons suffer through 10x35fg accuracy (6x24 3s). With senior sharpshooter K. Arcuri three 3s leading the way, Cortland goes on 16-0 run starting the final period. Run extends to 29-6 with 10 minutes left. Lead stretches to 20-plus. Corts land 12x20 treys in the second half. Arcuri finishes 7x8 3s in 24pt game (8x10fg, 4reb, 4assts, 32').
Frosh X. Leveille 15pts (5x8fg, 5x7 3s); J. Davis 14pts, 7reb; frosh N. Raymond 12pts, 6reb, 6assts; A. Coston 6pts, 6reb, 3assts, 2blks. Dragons total 22 assists. Pburgh's Welch 13x26fg, 4x7 3s, 6x6ft, 7reb, 40'; D. McKnight 11pts; M. Johnson 11reb. Cards suit just eight players.
    Cortland 12-1, 16-4. Plattsburgh 7-6, 10-9

Oswego, coming off 20pt home breeze Tuesday vs. New Paltz, holds off host Canton whose J. Sidle 3pter at 0:00 sends tilt to OT at 88-88. OSt 46-41 at half. Laker J. McGhee 27pts; A. Foster 22pts; P. Enling 14pts; D. Judd 12pts, 5pf. Roos B Streb 20pts. Canton 55 percent from the field.

Oneonta 69, Fredonia 41 avenging outcome not long ago in Fred-land.

New Paltz 65, Buffalo St. 54

Morrisville 92, Potsdam 66

Cortland goes to New Paltz and wins 68-58 Saturday decision using formula similar to previous night's conquering of Oneonta. RDragons close first half on 21-4 run over 7:27 for 35-23 lead at half. Race to 21 point lead launching the second half. Sloughing off earlier defensive play, Corts see Hawks get within nine. Deeper Dragons hold firm. A. Coston inside-outside work noted in 20pt performance. Perfect from the field (7x7fg, 1x1 3) along with 5x6ft, 5reb, 4assts, 32'. K. Arcuri notches 13pts (4x8fg, 2x4 3s, 8reb); J. Davis 7reb, 3assts. Go 25x54fg, 9x27 3s). L. Matthews with 15 early first half points, finishes 23pts (9x16fg, 3x5 3s, 9reb, 3 stls, 40'); L. Rivera 12pts (5x11fg, 5reb)
    Cortland 11-1, 15-4 and concludes home slate next Fri/Sat vs. Plattsburgh, Potsdam. New Paltz 7-5, 9-10

Oneonta upset at home by Morrisville 79-77 in overtime. M'ville by one at half, 73-73 thru regulation. OSt's P. Evans makes tying 'three' at 0:08 to reach OT. Mustang J. Moorehead with 22pts (9x17fg). Oneonta 10-3, 12-8

Oswego (9-2, 15-3) tops Potsdam 90-79
Plattsburgh trips Canton 84-76

Cortland takes sole possession of first place on the strength of 74-60 Friday win at Oneonta. Reverse outcome of first duel between RDragons. Manly defense along with strong first half finish and power start to second half get needed results. K. Arcuri 16 opening period points key 38-24 lead at the break. Injured in the first meeting with Oneonta, Arcuri finishes with 22pts (8x15fg, 2x3 3s, 4x5ft, 14reb, 37'). Cortland builds 19pt margin with 15' left. OSt climbs within eight on two occasions. Arcuri and playmaker G. Armbrewster off the sidelines to supply CSt spark.
  J. Davis with 12pts (6x10fg, 7reb, 18'), A. Coston, I. Austin, N. Raymond 9pt apiece in victory. Cortland cages FGs at 50 percent clip, 40 percent from 3-land. Oneonta at 36 and 20 percent, respectively. N. Cortez with 20pts (6x13fg, 6x7ft, 6reb), C. LaClair 9pts (3x13fg, 5reb)
    Cortland 10-1, 14-4 and Saturday at New Paltz. Oneonta 10-2, 12-7 and home Saturday vs. Morrisville

Contender Oswego (9-2, 15-3) sinks Plattsburgh 84-60
New Paltz over Morrisville 83-79
Buffalo St. 51, Fredonia 50 when J. Opare comes off the bench at 0:08 and hits game-winning jumper at 0:00
Canton 87, Potsdam 77 on night when Potsdam pays homage to the late Jerry Welsh on  J. Welsh court

Cortland takes care of Tuesday business beating of Buffalo St. 80-54 on the road. RDragons break free of 23-23 knot to lead 32-23 at half. Five minutes into second period and Corts in 20 point control. Shoot 45 percent (11x24) beyond the arc. Land 28x53 fielders with 18 assists. A. Coston 20pts (7x10fg, 4x6 3s, 30'); K. Arcuri 16pts (6x10fg, 2x5 3s, 8reb, 4assts, 27'); X. Leveille 11pts (3x3 3s, 5reb, 16'); G. Armbrewster 3x3fg, 6reb. Bengal Z. Johnson 10pts, 15'; C. Ani 9 reb.
  Cortland 9-1, 13-4 and Friday at Oneonta in first place showdown, Saturday at New Paltz. Buff St 2-8, 6-11

Oneonta (10-1, 12-6) stops Canton 79-60. OSt's P. Evans 17pts (5x6fg, 4x4 3s, 31')
Plattsburgh over Potsdam 69-66 behind R. Welch 30pts
Morrisville beats Fredonia 83-75
New Paltz at Oswego (8-2, 14-3) ppd.

Cortland's Isaiah Austin 3-point binge allows RDragons to pull away from Morrisville in Friday eve 99-73 winning decision at home. The senior sinks six straight threes over 3:27 span as Cortland extends 71-60 lead to 95-65. In that stretch Dragons make eight treys in a row as J. Davis and K. Arcuri also connect from distance. Austin winds up 30pts (10x17fg, 8x14 3s) in 25 minutes.
    Game outcome actually known quite early. Cortland with 37-23 intermission gap. Continues that margin most of the second half on 59 percent shooting from the field. Back in action after injury shelving for several games, Arcuri with 20pts (7x13fg, 4x6 3s, 10reb, 6assts). J. Davis posts 21pts (7x10fg, 4x5 3s, 8reb, 26'); A. Coston 8pts, 8reb, 5assts; G. Armbrewster 5assts. Dragons 18x38 3s, 13x23 second half. M'ville's K. Haskins 17pts 6x9fg), J. Works 15pts, A. Grainger 13pts.
    Big numbers not foreign to Austin who last season has 40pt game vs. Fredonia in which he ties school record with 10 treys.
    Cortland 8-1, 12-4 and Tuesday at Buffalo St. Morrisville 4-5, 5-11

Oneonta 69, Plattsburgh 56
New Paltz 89, Potsdam 79
Oswego 69, Buff St 56
Fredonia 85, Canton 83
     

And then there were two .......

Oneonta and Cortland atop conference. While Cortland idled by weather Tuesday, Oneonta avenges week-old 21pt home loss to Oswego with OT 81-77 win over homestanding Lakers! Return engagement as close as close can be. Oswego by 42-41 at half. Each side by five in the second half ...72-72 in regulation. Oswego by five early in OT. N. Cortez jumper puts RDragons in 78-77 lead at 0:51. H. Herlihy and P. Evans FTs clinchers.
   Oneontans C. LaClair 17pts (7x14fg, 11reb, 4assts, 42'); N. Cohen 17pts (7x18fg, 7reb, 32'); S. Booth 17pts (7x10fg, 17'); D. Knox 10pts (4x7fg). Lakers A. Foster 21pts (8x12fg, 7reb, 41'); S. Bradley 19pts (7x11fg, 4x7 3s); D. Judd 14pts, 15reb, 7tovers, 42'); G. McLane 11reb

Canton 89, New Paltz 76

SUNYAC leaders: Oneonta 7-1, 9-6; Cortland 7-1, 11-4; Oswego 6-2, 12-3; Plattsburgh 5-2, 8-5

Cortland at Fredonia, ppd. Tuesday to Feb. 17. Weather ....bad .....at work.

Still slated ....Oneonta at Oswego, New Paltz at Canton

Three teams remain virtually sharing first place following Cortland 61-56 stopping of Plattsburgh. That pair enters Saturday game with one league loss apiece along with Oneonta and Oswego.

Oneonta keeps pace atop the conference by barely escaping host Fredonia 69-68 via C. LaClair free throw at 0:13. Oswego idle Saturday.

Cortland, without two key players for the second straight game, wins defensive struggle at Plattsburgh. Up 30-25 at half, RDragons appear ready to seize matters at 50-40 with 7:38 left. Cardinals tie it at 54 on J. Gladney 3-pointer at 2:00. G. Armbrewster trey off A. Coston assist puts Corts ahead at 1:37. After Pburgh K. Screen driving layup at 1:12, Dragon I. Austin FTs at 0:47 hike gap to three and Armbrewster FTs at 0:09 finish it.
    Frosh X. Leveille -- starting for injured K. Arcuri, scores 11pts (3x9 3s, 29') leads Cortland balanced score sheet. Austin with 10pts, 7reb; J. Davis 9pts, 7reb; Coston 9pts (4x8fg, 8assts, 38'); N. Raymond 8pts; Armbrewster 7pts (2x3fg, 2x2ft, 25'). Ironman R. Welch 24pts (10x15fg, 7reb, 40'); Gladney 9pts, I. Connell 9pts, M. Johnson 9pts for Pburgh.
    Cortland 7-1, 11-4 Tuesday at Fredonia. Pburgh 5-2, 8-5

Oneonta survives Fredonia closing flourish. Freds down 68-59 at 4:49, get tying B. Kopp trey at 0:32. LaClair winning FT gives him team-high 18 pts. N. Cortez with 16. M. Garza 24 tops Fredonia. S. Williams with 12. Oneonta at Oswego on Tuesday in second meeting in week's span.

New Paltz over Buffalo St. 75-61. Morrisville over Potsdam 110-81

Cortland dispatches spunky Potsdam 65-55 in Friday north country matchup. Spirited show by the Bears after falling behind 22-7. Narrow to 32-25 at half and pull within five on several second half occasions. Tis 53-48 at 4:30. A. Coston with 15pts (5x6fg, 4x4 3s, 11reb, 3assts); I. Austin 14pts, 9reb; N. Raymond 11pts (4x7fg, 6reb); J. Davis 5blk) for RDragons who outboard host 47-27 but have 20 turnovers. Pdam's E. Baksh 15pts (5x12fg), B. Kemokai 10pts (4x8fg).
  Cortland 6-1, 10-4 and Saturday at Plattsburgh. Potsdam 1-5, 1-12

Oneonta whips Buffalo St. 74-53
New Paltz sinks Fredonia 78-67
Plattsburgh 81 (R. Welch 31pts, 15reb, 40'), Morrisville 74
Oswego 85 (D. Judd 33pts, 10reb, 33'), Canton 67. Oswego by one at half

Virtual four way tie among Cortland, Oswego, Oneonta, Plattsburgh for conference top spot after Tuesday play. All four with single league loss.

Cortland outguns visiting Buffalo St. 69-51. Stretches out 28-18 halftime lead to 54-29. Frosh X. Leveille nets 13pts (5x10fg); I. Austin 12pts; N. Raymond 11pts (5x10fg); J. Davis 12reb; A. Coston 9pts, 7reb. RDragons without injured K. Arcuri. J. Scott 14pts (6x10fg) pace Bengals.
    Corts 5-1, 9-4 and Friday at Potsdam, Saturday at Plattsburgh. Buff St. 1-4, 5-7

Oswego grabs early command at Oneonta enroute to 83-62 win. D. Judd 27pts (11x18fg, 13reb) for Lakers.

Plattsburgh blitzes guest Potsdam 101-78. Cards K. Screen 32pts (13x14fg, 11reb); R. Welch 32pts (10x15fg); M. Johnson 14reb

A more battle-tested Oneonta shows clutch play at Cortland Saturday and trims RDragons 79-75. H. Herlihy lands 3-pointer at 0:23 to overcome A. Coston bullying layin giving CSt 75-74 lead at 0:42. Coston reversal attempt from 18-feet in closing seconds bounds off the rim. OSt's Herlihy clinches with two FTs at 0:02.
  Oneonta, backed by very difficult non-conference schedule, is sole league unbeaten at 4-0 after dealing Corts first SUNYAC setback. Plattsburgh also drops first conference game Saturday at Oswego.
  Cortland holds lead on Oneonta for 33 minutes including 42-38 at half. N. Cohen -- transfer from Canton, keeps visitors in step with 22 first half bench points -- 6x8 3s. Tight going rest of the way, Oneonta briefly by five and Cortland by 69-63 at six-minute mark. C. LaClair hoop with a minute left finally puts Oneonta ahead 74-73.
  For Corts, Coston 24 pts (9x14fg, 6x7ft); K. Arcuri 13pts (4x7fg, 8reb); K. Wilson 11pts (4x6fg, 3x3 3s); X. Leveille 10pts (3x4fg, 2x3 3s). Cortland 51fg percent, 8 turnovers. For Oneonta, Cohen 24pts (7x12fg, 6x10 3s, 24'); LaClair 19pts (7x16fg, 6reb, 38'; Herlihy 16pts (5x11fg, 2x5 3s, 31'); N. Cortez 10pts, 4assts. Shoot 46fg percent, 9x21 3s, mere 2 turnovers.
    Cortland 4-1, 8-4 and home Tuesday vs. Buffalo St.; Oneonta 4-0, 6-5 and Tuesday entertains Oswego

    Elsewhere Saturday, Oswego tops Plattsburgh 74-66 with S. Bradley 24pts.; New Paltz downs Morrisville 77-71; Canton shades Potsdam 89-87