Feb 21, 2020
CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Cortland women's basketball team outscored Brockport, 20-8, in the third quarter to break open a tight game and the Red Dragons defeated the visiting Golden Eagles, 70-50, to clinch the second seed in next week's SUNYAC playoffs.
Cortland (20-4, 14-3 SUNYAC) reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2014-15 season. The Red Dragons earned a bye into the SUNYAC semifinals with their second-place finish and will play either third-seeded Geneseo or sixth-seeded Brockport next Friday, Feb. 28, at New Paltz. Cortland closes the regular season at home versus Geneseo on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m.
Five Cortland players scored either 10 or 12 points for the Red Dragons. Shannon McGuire (West Babylon) scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and added four assists and four steals. Beth Bonin (Cicero/Cicero-North Syracuse) totaled 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Sarah Tully (East Aurora) finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Nyia Longford (Medford/Longwood) scored 10 points, all in the second half, along with 11 rebounds and a career-high tying four assists, and Casey Travers (Manorville/Eastport-South Manor) finished with 10 points.
Serena Sordetto led Brockport (10-14, 7-10 SUNYAC) with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Anna Felice tallied nine points and Julianna Taylor and Bailey Pratt each scored eight points.
Brockport led 24-22 midway through the second quarter and tied the game at 27 on a Felice 3-pointer with 2:48 left in the period. Cortland scored the next five points on a Travers 3-pointer and a McGuire layup, and the Red Dragons held a 32-28 halftime lead.
Leading 36-32, Cortland outscored the Golden Eagles by a 16-4 margin over the final seven minutes of the third quarter to take a 52-36 lead. Meghan Flanagan (Rochester/Brighton), Travers and Longford each hit 3-pointers during that stretch. The advantage grew to 20 points about three minutes into the fourth quarter and hovered between 18 and 24 points the rest of the game.
Cortland shot 41 percent from the floor while holding Brockport to just 28 percent accuracy. The Red Dragons committed only five turnovers, compared to 14 by the guests, and held a 13-5 edge in points off of turnovers as a result.