Cortland Men’s Basketball Holds Off Late Oswego Rally for 74-65 Win in SUNYAC Semifinals
Cortland Sports Information Department
NEW PALTZ, NY - Kendall Arcuri (Staten Island/St. Joseph by-the-Sea), Gerrad Beaubrun (Baldwin), and Joel Davis (Watertown) combined for 32 points in the first half to help the Red Dragons build a 19-point advantage at the half, and the third-seeded Cortland men's basketball team withstood a furious comeback bid in the second half for a 74-65 victory over second-seeded Oswego in the SUNYAC Semifinals on Friday evening.
Cortland improves to 16-11 on the year and advances to the championship game tomorrow at 4 p.m., and will face the winner of the other semifinal between top-seeded New Paltz and fourth-seeded Plattsburgh. Oswego finishes the season at 17-9.
Arcuri led Cortland with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. Davis recorded a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, shooting 6-for-11 from the floor. Aaron Coston (Kerhonkson/Rondout Valley) tallied 14 points, including nine points in the second half, and had six assists, six rebounds, and three blocks.
Beaubrun scored 11 points, knocking down 3-of-5 shots from downtown, and grabbed seven boards. Gaige Armbrewster (Oakfield/Oakfield-Alabama) recorded eight points and handed out three assists.
Gary McLane led Oswego with 21 points, making 10-of-11 shots from the floor. Kenny Lazo was the other Laker in double figures, scoring 13 points and dishing out three assists.
Cortland went up 10-4 just over four minutes into the first half, as Arcuri converted an and-1 after a perfect feed on an inbounds pass from beneath the basket from Armbrewster. The Lakers eventually cut the lead down to 12-11, before Arcuri and Beaubrun each knocked down a triple extend the lead back to 18-11 with 10:55 left in the half. At that point, Arcuri and Beaubrun had combined to score all of the Red Dragons' points, with 12 from Arcuri and six from Beaubrun.
Oswego closed the deficit down to two with 9:36 remaining, but Cortland immediately responded with a 9-2 run to extend the advantage back to nine. The Lakers scored their final points of the half on a jumper by Xavier Allen with 4:30 remaining, and Cortland closed the half on a 12-0 run to lead 39-20 at half, with Davis scoring the final nine points and nailing a 3-pointer from the right wing just before the buzzer.
The Red Dragons shot 51.7% from the field in the first half, while knocking down five triples. Meanwhile, the Red Dragons were able to hold Oswego to just 29.0% percent in the half.
A 3-pointer by Isaiah Austin (Albany) with 10:50 remaining in the second half gave Cortland its largest lead of 23 points at 53-20. The Lakers immediately responded with a 13-1 run to cut the deficit down to 11 with just over seven minutes left.
On the ensuing Cortland possession, Beaubrun was able to corral a huge offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer and made both free throws after being fouled on a putback layup.
Oswego continued to cut into the Cortland lead over the next few minutes, with 3-pointers from Lazo and Steven Bradley highlighting an 8-0 run to cut the Cortland lead to five with 3:45 remaining, forcing the Red Dragons to use a timeout. Out of the timeout, Coston drove to the hoop and was fouled, making both free throws.
After a pair of buckets by Oswego brought the score to 64-61, Kendrick Wilson (Wheatley Heights/Moravian Prep, NC) drove to the basket and converted a layup while being fouled with 2:02 remaining. He converted the and-1 to give Cortland a six-point advantage.
The Red Dragons came up with a stop on the defensive end, and Arcuri delivered the dagger with just over a minute remaining, a spinning floater in the lane to give Cortland a 69-61 lead. The Lakers attempted to play the foul game in the final minute, but Armbrewster and Wilson both sank a pair of free throws to secure the victory.
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Cortland | Oswego |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-51) | (27-63) |
| Field Goal % | 45.1% | 42.9% |
| Rebounds | 34 | 22 |
| Assists | 14 | 9 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 3 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 0 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 8 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 28 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 5 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 9 | 22 |
