CORTLAND, N.Y. - Justin Cooper (Pine Plains/Stissing Mountain) scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half as Cortland rallied from a 16-point deficit to defeat visiting Geneseo, 80-69, in SUNYAC men's basketball action.

Cooper was one of four double-figure scorers for the Red Dragons (12-6, 7-4 SUNYAC). He finished 6-of-12 from the field, including two 3-pointers, made all 10 of his free throws, and grabbed seven rebounds. Carrel Joseph (Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Deer Park (NY)) hit 7-of-12 shots with three 3-pointers and ended with 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

Zach Lydon (Elizaville/Stissing Mountain) matched his career high with 15 points. He was 6-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from the 3-point arc. James Morales (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) ended with 13 points, with three 3-pointers, and three assists. Michael Kelly (Monroe/Burke Catholic) dished out a career-high five assists and Brendan Fitzpatrick (Plainview/Plainview-Old Bethpage) handed out a career-high three assists in 14 minutes off the bench.

Geneseo (12-7, 7-5 SUNYAC) was led by Justin Ringer and John Decker with 20 points and five rebounds apiece. Ringen hit 5-of-13 3-point attempts and led the Knights with four assists. Decker, who finished five points under his SUNYAC-leading 25-point-per-game average, made 6-of-12 shots overall and 4-of-9 from the arc.

Geneseo finished the first half on a 13-2 run to take a 41-35 lead at the break. The Knights then opened the second half on a 12-2 spurt, including two Decker 3-pointers, and led 53-37 with 15:11 remaining.

Cortland responded with a 13-3 run over the next four minutes to close within six. Lydon scored eight points over that span, including two treys. The Red Dragons still trailed by seven at 64-57 with seven minutes left before scoring 12 straight to take the lead for good. Cooper scored the first nine of those points on a 3-pointer, a 3-point play, and another 3-pointer, and Kelly nailed a three with 4:52 left to put Cortland up 69-64.

The Knights, however, eventually closed their deficit to one at 70-69 on a Ringen 3-pointer with 3:04 left. Each team missed a shot on its next possession, and Morales buried a three from the right corner with 2:03 remaining to push the Cortland lead to four. Kelly followed that with a 3-pointer at the 1:17 mark, and Cooper made four free throws over the final 50 seconds to salt away the victory.

Cortland shot 48 percent from the field and 42 percent (13-of-31) from the 3-point arc. Geneseo shot 63 percent from the field in the first half, but only 38 percent in the second and finished at 49 percent. The Knights were 34 percent (11-of-32) from long distance.

Cortland will host Brockport Saturday at 2 p.m.