ELMIRA, N.Y. - Lindsey Heaton hit a driving layup with three seconds remaining and host Elmira College defeated Cortland, 70-68, in a non-league women's basketball game.
Emily Green scored 21 points to lead four double-figure scorers for Elmira (3-4), which won its third straight game. Heaton finished with 16 points and six assists and was 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Rachel Vespucci totaled 15 points and 15 rebounds and Danielle Cleary added 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Cassidy Chapko (Valley Falls/Hoosic Valley) led Cortland (1-3) with a career-high 28 points and matched her career best with six rebounds. She was 9-of-14 from the field with three 3-pointers and hit 7-of-8 free throws. Danielle Levine (Holbrook/Sachem North) made 5-of-8 shots from the floor and all four of her free throws for a career-best 15 points. She also led the Red Dragons with seven rebounds and four steals. In addition, Kristy Vitucci (Deer Park) scored nine points, all in the second half, and Stephanie Rice (Duanesburg) added eight points.
The teams were tied 13-13 after the first quarter, and Cortland led 29-28 at halftime. Elmira grabbed the lead 17 seconds into the third quarter on a Heaton 3-pointer and led by as much as eight in the period before settling for a 51-46 lead entering the fourth.
Cortland opened the fourth on a 5-1 run to close within 52-51, and the Red Dragons eventually tied the game at 58-58 on a Vitucci layup with 4:03 remaining. Cortland took its only lead of the second half, other than its halftime advantage, when Chapko made a shot on a step-through move with 3:19 left to put the Red Dragons ahead 60-59.
Elmira answered with a Cleary 3-pointer on its next possession to re-take the lead, and the Soaring Eagles led 66-62 with 1:24 left after two Vespucci free throws. Chapko's floater with 1:10 left and her two free throws with 56.1 seconds remaining, sandwiched around one Elmira free throw, cut the host's lead to 67-66. Elmira turned the ball over with 52 seconds left, but Cortland turned the ball back over with less than 30 seconds remaining.
Heaton made the first of two free throws with 26.1 seconds left. Vitucci was fouled on a drive with 11.6 seconds left and sank both foul shots to tie the game at 68-68. Elmira called timeout and automatically advanced the ball to halfcourt. Heaton drove from the right side and made the winning layup with three seconds left. Cortland missed a very long potential winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Cortland opens SUNYAC play at Oswego on Saturday at 4 p.m.