CHESTER (PA) – SUNY Cortland shot 51.9 percent from the field in the first half, en route to a 71-58 triumph over Delaware Valley College in the first round of the Widener University Tip-Off Classic.

The Aggies (0-2) will now take on Penn State Mont Alto in Saturday's consolation game. Penn State Mont Alto dropped a 115-47 decision to the host Pride in the first game of the tournament.

The Red Dragons (2-0) connected on 14 of 27 shots from the field in the opening 20 minutes. That hot shooting keyed a 13-1 run that turned a one-point deficit into a 26-16 lead with 6:12 to go. Harrison Hefele and Brian Manning combined for 11 of Cortland's 13 points.

Delaware Valley trimmed the Red Dragon lead to eight, 36-28, at the break. The Aggies then scored 10 of the first 15 points of the second half, including four each by Jeremy Beckett and Jay Donovan, to make it a 41-38 contest. However, Hefele hit a 3-pointer and Manning followed with a jumper to up the advantage back to eight, and Delaware Valley got no closer than six points the rest of the way.

Manning finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Jesse Winter also had 18 points while Hefele and Kevin McMahon finished with 11 points apiece.

Beckett, a 2011 all-Freedom honoree, tallies 22 points, nine rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots in the loss. Donovan and Nathan Bollinger chipped in with 12 points apiece.