NEW YORK, N.Y. - Senior Michael Kelly (Monroe/Burke Catholic) hit a driving layup with three seconds left to lift Cortland past host CCNY, 78-77, in a non-league men's basketball matchup.
Cortland (2-1) rallied from a 13-point deficit over the final 10 minutes for the victory. CCNY fell to 1-3 with the loss.
Justin Cooper (Pine Plains/Stissing Mountain) led the Red Dragons with 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Kelly finished with 17 points and three assists, Nicky Bonura (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) added nine points on three first-half 3-pointers, Zach Lydon (Elizaville/Stissing Mountain) scored nine points and grabbed eight boards, and Andre Hampton (Bronx/Frederick Douglass Academy) finished with eight points, three steals and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Khalil Hamer paced CCNY with 22 points, five assists and four steals and Robbie Dionisio scored 20 points and also registered four steals. Mark Richards added 11 points and David Solano scored nine points.
Cortland trailed 40-35 at halftime and fell behind 63-50 after a Sonny Kadisha free throw with 10:10 remaining. The Red Dragons were still down by 10 after a Hamer 3-pointer at the 7:25 mark, but scored the next eight points to cut their deficit to two. A Hampton basket and a Cooper 3-point play started the run, and Kelly's trey made it 69-67 with 6:33 remaining.
Cortland eventually tied the game at 73-73 on two Cooper free throws with 3:28 left. Richards made a shot with 2:51 left, but Hampton's two free throws with 2:32 left tied the game again.
The score remained tied until Justin Rivera (Bardonia/Clarkstown South) hit the second of two free throws with 1:13 left to put Cortland up 76-75. Hamer gave the Beavers their final lead at 77-76 on a jumper with 46 seconds left. The Red Dragons missed a 3-pointer on their next possession, but CCNY turned the ball over after the rebound and Cortland called timeout with 20 seconds left.
The Red Dragons called another timeout at the 10-second mark, and Kelly hit the winning basket with three seconds left. CCNY's final look at a potential game-winning 3-pointer missed the mark.
Cortland will host Ithaca College in a non-league game on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 5:30 p.m., with the women's team hosting Ithaca at 7:30 p.m.