OSWEGO, N.Y. – Cortland outscored Oswego in the third quarter, 18-6, to erase a three-point halftime deficit and the Red Dragons defeated the host Lakers, 52-40, in SUNYAC women's basketball action.

Cortland improved to 12-1 overall and 6-0 in the SUNYAC. The Red Dragons are off to their best start since a 13-1 beginning to the 2007-08 season. Oswego is now 6-6 overall and 2-4 in league play.

Beth Bonin (Cicero/Cicero-North Syracuse) led Cortland with 21 points and three assists. Shannon McGuire (West Babylon) scored nine points, Meghan Flanagan (Rochester/Brighton) finished with six points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists, and Nyia Longford (Medford/Longwood) amassed six points, two steals and a team-high nine rebounds, sharing the team lead in that category with Sarah Tully (East Aurora).

Sydni Eure ended with 15 points and 17 rebounds for the Lakers. Raiven Encarnacion added 13 points and three rebounds and Taylor Torchia posted nine points, four rebounds and team bests of four assists and four steals.

Cortland led 7-0 to start the game and held a 15-9 edge after one quarter. Oswego, however, outscored the Red Dragons by nine points in the second quarter and led 24-21 at the break.

Oswego's lead grew to seven points in just over a minute to start the third quarter on baskets by Torchia and Encarnacion. Cortland answered with seven straight points, capped by a Bonin 3-pointer, to tie the game at 28. Eure hit a jumper at the 5:07 mark to put Oswego back on top, but the Red Dragons finished the quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 39-30 lead. Flanagan scored five points in that streak on a layup and 3-pointer.

Cortland extended the lead to 14 points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter and led by double figures the rest of the game. The Red Dragons held Oswego without a made field goal from Eure's basket with 5:07 left in the third until an Encarnacion jumper with 4:47 remaining in the fourth.

Cortland won despite shooting only 33 percent overall from the floor and 19 percent (5-of-27) from the arc. The Red Dragons, however, held Oswego to 31 percent overall from the field and 16 percent (3-of-19) from long distance.

The Red Dragons return to action when they host New Paltz on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in a battle of league unbeatens. The defending SUNYAC champion and a 2019 NCAA Sweet 16 team, the Hawks will enter the game 11-2 overall and 5-0 in the SUNYAC.