CORTLAND, N.Y. - Cortland let most of a 21-point lead slip away over the final nine minutes but held on at the end to defeat Keuka, 64-63, in a non-league women's basketball action.

Kristy Vitucci (Deer Park) led Cortland (9-6) with a career-high 25 points, including a career-best seven 3-pointers in nine attempts. Shana Crespo (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) finished with 12 points and three steals, and Kerry McHugh (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) ended with 11 points, five assists and three steals. Taylor Miller (Freeport) and Tanna Mohammed (Huntington/John H. Glenn) dished out six adn three assists, respectively - both career highs.

Lauren Anten paced Keuka (10-4) with 22 points, including four 3-pointers. Reighly Melochick totaled 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Riley Record went 3-for-4 from 3-point range in a nine-point effort. Sam Laranjo and Arianna DeNault shared the team lead with Melochick with four assists apiece.

Cortland, which never trailed in the game, held a 37-21 halftime lead and a 56-36 advantage entering the fourth quarter. The lead grew to 21 at 59-38 on a Vitucci 3-pointer with 8:54 remaining.

Keuka scored the next eight points, including treys by Melochick and Anten, to close within 59-46 with 7:02 left. Vitucci answered with her seventh 3-pointer of the game with 6:42 left, but the Wolves scored 15 unanswered points over the next five minutes. Melochick's 3-pointer with 2:28 left made it a three-point game, and Melochick hit a layup with 1:48 on the clock to cut Cortland's lead to 62-61.

Keuka missed four potential go-ahead shots over the next minute, and eventually had to foul to put Cortland on the line. Vitucci hit two free throws with 18 seconds left to give Cortland a 64-61 lead. The Wolves, however, responded with a Niki Templeton layup with eight seconds left to pull back within a point.

Cortland called timeout and automatically advanced the ball to the frontcourt for an inbounds pass, but the Red Dragons committed a backcourt violation on the pass to give the ball back to Keuka.  Melochick missed a 3-pointer from the right wing, contested heavily by McHugh, and the clock ran out.

Both teams finished with 25 total field goals and 10 made 3-pointers. Cortland shot 42 percent from the field and 46 percent (10-of-22) from 3-point range, while Keuka shot 38 percent overall and 37 percent (10-of-27) from the arc.

Cortland returns to SUNYAC play at Oswego on Saturday at 1 p.m.