Everyone loves a comeback story, and the SUNY Cortland women’s basketball team gave us an exciting one to follow after Saturday night’s SUNYAC championship win.
The Red Dragons lost to New Paltz twice in the regular season, but they managed to pull out a win when it mattered the most. The game was tied 5 times in the 4th quarter, but basketball is a game of runs, and a run made by Cortland in the final 2 minutes allowed the team to come out with a 57-52 win.
This is now the 3rd season in a row that Cortland has met New Paltz in the SUNYAC championship game, losing last year on their home court, the Red Dragons were able to end the Hawks 2o game winning streak and pull out a huge road win. The championship game secured Cortland a spot in the NCAA Division III playoffs, which will now be the group’s 3rd consecutive appearance.
“After losing to them twice, and also in the past two SUNYAC championships, we came into the game having a refuse to lose attitude,” said Casey Travers, who put up nine points for the Red Dragons. “We’ve played this team so many times that we all knew what we needed to execute, we just needed to come into the game with the confidence to win.”
Cortland has had a very successful season, they were seeded 2nd overall, and went into the game with an overall record of 23-4, 16-2 in conference. Even with that success, Cortland could not seem to figure out how to beat New Paltz. That was until Saturday at least. The championship win was the Red Dragons 8th league win in program history and first since 2010.
“Our coaches stressed keeping them off the offense glass, starting the first 5 minutes strong, and playing hard for 40 minutes,” said Travers.
The focus on defense, and more specifically rebound, may have just been what allowed the Red Dragons to come out as champs. Cortland out rebounded New Paltz on the offensive end 12-4, which really limited the Hawks second chance opportunities, and allowed Cortland to execute.
Nyia Longford who has been a key offensive player all season recorded 17 points for Cortland, and Emily Morano who is a force on both ends of the court recorded 1000 career points. Longford and Morano were named to the all-tournament team along with teammates Sarah Tully who ended the game scoring 10 points.
“In the championship game, we were more prepared to face their overall game,” said Sarah Tully. “They are a high pressure team and their offense is fast paced. We felt more comfortable on defense and breaking their pressure this last go-around and mentally we were ready. We stayed composed throughout the entire game from start to finish.”
The Red Dragons have played a challenging schedule this season, but it has paid off, allowing them to finally come out on top against the number one seeded New Paltz, and securing them a spot in the NCAA tournament.
“Going forward, we need to keep this win and use it as fuel heading into the tournament,” said Tully. “In years past, we have lost the championship game and still received an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament. We have to continue to work on our defensive efforts and stopping the ball in transition in order to be successful.”
Cortland is scheduled to play Saint Vincent in Hartford Connecticut this Friday in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. They have continued to prove themselves throughout the entirety of the 22-23 season, and are a team to follow in this tournament.