CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland improved to 2-0 in the SUNYAC and 5-1 overall with a convincing 63-42 victory over visiting Potsdam. Junior Jesse Winter led 11 Cortland players in the scoring column with 13 points and also handed out a team-best six assists. Junior Jeremy Smith scored 12 points and notched three assists.
Cortland's two centers combined for 16 points, seven rebounds and seven blocked shots. Junior Dan Sternkopf made all four of his shots from the field for a career-high nine points and blocked five shots. Freshman Max Brown totaled career bests of seven points, six rebounds and two blocks in 13 minutes off the bench.
Curtis Pierce led Potsdam (2-4, 0-2 SUNYAC) with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. Zac Adams added nine points and five rebounds.
Cortland shot 52 percent from the field (26-of-50) and held Potsdam to 27 percent accuracy (13-of-48).
Potsdam led 13-12 with 12:54 left in the first half before Cortland mounted a 15-1 run over the next nine and a half minutes to go up 27-14. Winter scored the first eight points of that streak on a layup and two three-pointers and junior Harrison Hefele scored five of the Red Dragons' next seven points.
Cortland enjoyed a 32-25 halftime lead and outscored the Bears 12-1 in the first 4:33 of the second half to open up an 18-point cushion. Sternkopf scored seven of his nine points in the run, including a dunk off a Winter feed. The lead grew to as much as 25 points at 53-28 on a Brown layup with 10:28 left.
Cortland will play at Geneseo on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m.