POTSDAM, N.Y. – Senior Jeremy Smith (Bronx/Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy) scored a game-high 29 points as Cortland won the SUNYAC regular-season title outright with a 69-56 win at Potsdam. The nationally 23rd-ranked Red Dragons (21-4 overall) completed the regular season with a 15-3 league record, one game ahead of second-place Plattsburgh.
Cortland and Plattsburgh each earn byes into the league tournament semifinals. Cortland will host the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 22, with Plattsburgh playing at 6 p.m. and Cortland playing at 8 p.m. Cortland will also host the title game Saturday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m.
Smith made 6-of-8 three-pointers and 7-of-8 free throws. He increased his career scoring total to 1,301 points to become the seventh player in program history to reach the 1,300-point mark.
Junior Kevin McMahon (Hoosick Falls) finished with 11 points and six rebounds, senior Brian Manning (Elmira/Southside) hit 3-of-6 three-pointers in an 11-point effort, and senior Harrison Hefele (Greenlawn/Friends Academy) led the Red Dragons with eight rebounds.
Mark Lake, Jr., paced Potsdam (9-16, 5-13 SUNYAC) with 16 points and six rebounds. Colin Peterson scored 11 points and grabbed five boards and Zac Adams registered 10 points and five rebounds.
Cortland trailed 33-32 at halftime, with Smith accounting for half of the Red Dragons' points in the period. Cortland scored first six points of the second half, four by McMahon, to go up 38-33.
With the lead still at five at 43-38 with 15:55 remaining, Cortland scored nine straight points to establish a double-figure lead that it never relinquished. Smith started the run with a three-pointer, followed by a McMahon jumper and two buckets by Smith. Potsdam scored twice to close within 10 with 10:42 left, but Manning hit two three-pointers over the next two and a half minutes to put Cortland up by 14. Smith's four free throws – two the result of a technical foul – with 7:22 left gave the Red Dragons a 16-point lead and the margin remained at 13 or higher from that point.
Cortland shot only 41 percent from the field, but did make 10-of-20 from three-point range along with 15-of-20 free throws. Potsdam shot 42 percent from the floor, but only 3-of-17 (18 percent) from the three-point arc.