CORTLAND, N.Y. – Beth Bonin (Cicero/Cicero-North Syracuse) scored a season-high 32 points and matched her season best with seven assists as the Cortland women's basketball team defeated visiting Potsdam, 83-68, in SUNYAC action.

 

Cortland (18-3, 12-2) remains a game behind leader New Paltz (13-1 SUNYAC) in the league standings. The Red Dragons will host Plattsburgh Saturday at 2 p.m.

 

Bonin made a season-high 13 field goals in 20 attempts, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and also grabbed six rebounds. She netted 22 of her 32 points in the second half. Shannon McGuire (West Babylon) scored all 14 of her points in the first half and finished with five assists and three rebounds. Nyia Longford (Medford/Longwood) added 13 points and four boards, Casey Travers (Manorville/Eastport-South Manor) contributed nine points and six rebounds, and Sarah Tully (East Aurora) led the Red Dragons with 11 rebounds.

 

Devyn Elliott led Potsdam (7-14, 4-11 SUNYAC) with 25 points and 13 rebounds and also had three assists. She hit 11 of her 22 shot attempts from the floor. Dyamon Hunter scored 13 points and distributed six assists, while Caroline LaFountain and Bella Barner scored nine points each.

 

The game remained tight for almost three quarters before Cortland pulled away in the fourth. The Red Dragons held a 21-16 lead after one quarter and a 10-point cushion early in the second, but the Bears clawed back to within 33-32 on an Elliott jumper 2:09 before halftime. Cortland finished the half on a 7-2 run, including a Jess Womble (Wheatley Heights/Half Hollow Hills East) 3-pointer and buckets by Joka Oyefeso (Staten Island/Port Richmond), and led 40-34 at the break.

 

Potsdam trailed by only four with 4:57 left in the third, and Cortland's lead was only six at 55-49 with 1:53 remaining in the period following a Barner 3-pointer. Bonin, however, hit a 3-pointer with 1:25 left, followed by a Katie Carey (Greene) layup with 1:03 left, to extend the lead to 11, and the Red Dragons took a nine-point advantage into the fourth. Cortland led by at least nine over the final 10 minutes and held its largest lead at 15 points twice in the final minute.

 

Cortland shot 49 percent from the floor and turned the ball over only eight times. Potsdam shot 45 percent but gave up the ball 18 times as Cortland ended with a 21-6 advantage in points off of turnovers.