Fans flooded the court of Corey Gymnasium on Tuesday night following sophomore forward Kendall Arcuri’s game-winning 3-pointer in overtime versus Plattsburgh, advancing the Red Dragons to the SUNYAC Semifinals.
Both teams were riding a hot streak heading into this first game of tournament play, with the 4-seed Cortland securing a 6-1 record to close out their regular season and 5-seed Plattsburgh finishing with four consecutive wins of their own.
After Plattsburgh got off to a swift five-point lead to open the game, Cortland got themselves in the scoring column with a three-pointer from Arcuri – marking the beginning of what would be a career night for the sophomore forward.
Arcuri finished the first half with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 50% from the field (3-6) and notching two 3-pointers. He led the team in each of those categories.
The Red Dragons found themselves up by just a single point heading into the locker room at the half after a three from the left corner by sophomore guard Gaige Armbrewster gave them the lead, 33-32. Armbrewster had a career-high night in scoring as well, totaling 8 points with two 3-pointers and a clutch block with just under a minute left in regulation en route to the win.
“Gaige is a guy who has been very consistent working outside of our practice time to get reps in on the court and also get extra film sessions in,” said assistant coach Patrick Stasiak. “He is a guy who had played very limited minutes most of the season, but as we get to crunch time his work has shown up and he has provided a spark for us off the bench.”
Arcuri picked up in the second half right where he left off in the first, splashing his third 3-pointer of the game to bring the Cardinals lead to within 3 before drawing an and-one on the next full possession down the court to even the score once again at 42.
Plattsburgh junior guard/forward Ikechukwu Ezike was his team’s second-leading scorer on the night but missed 2 crucial free throws that would have put them up 68-64 with 20 seconds left in regulation. Cortland grabbed the board following the second miss, giving them the opportunity to draw up a play.
Junior guard Jaylen Warmack received the ball from Arcuri off the inbound before kicking it right back and clearing out, giving him the space to operate for the final play. Driving to the left baseline, Arcuri got a contested floater in the paint to fall over two defenders and tie the score 66-66 with 2.8 seconds left.
Plattsburgh senior guard Willard Anderon Jr. managed to drive up the court and get a good look off on a one-handed heave from the 3-point line as time expired at regulation but narrowly missed it.
Arcuri continued dominating in overtime, putting back a missed 3-pointer from sophomore guard Isaiah Austin in the paint to give Cortland a 70-66 lead just before making a huge block on the other end of the court on a drive from Plattsburgh’s Kevin Tabb.
Graduate student guard/forward Dylan Trombley, who led Plattsburgh in scoring with 18 points, kissed a jumper off the glass from the right block in the penultimate play of the game, giving his squad a 77-75 lead. This bucket set the stage for the biggest play of Cortland’s entire season.
After taking what would wind up being their final timeout of the match, the Red Dragons sped down the court to set up their final possession. With no easy bucket becoming apparent and time swiftly draining from the clock, Warmack and Arcuri played hot potato with the ball. As the final seconds ticked down, Arcuri was left with no choice but to take a deep contested 3-pointer from the left elbow over his defender. The ball stayed on the rim for what felt like an eternity, bouncing around a total of 4 times in what Cortland commentators called “Kawhi Leonard-esque” fashion before finally dropping through the net and sending fans to storm the hardwood in droves. Cortland wins, 78-77.
“My mindset at that moment was truly just finding a way to win, whether it meant passing the ball to the open man or doing what I could to score, it’s always about the win,” said Arcuri. “We also had some seniors leaving who happen to be really close friends of mine, and knowing that win gave them the chance to extend their playing career felt awesome as well.”
Arcuri wrapped up the outing with a career-high 28 points on 10-15 shooting from the field and 5-6 from beyond the arc, also tacking on 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in 44 minutes.
The Red Dragons will now head to Oswego this Friday to face off against the 1-seed Lakers on their home court. Cortland went winless against Oswego in their two previous matchups this season, first by a margin of just two points at Oswego, and then by a much larger 19 on their home court just a few weeks later.
From a statistical standpoint, Cortland will be looking to shut down Oswego’s leading scorer, senior guard Jeremiah Sparks, who torched the Red Dragons for 27 points in their previous bout – a game in which he was the only Oswego player to even register double digits in the scoring column.
Sophomore forward Aaron Coston, who recorded 15 points and 9 boards in the win over Plattsburgh, thinks the key to a victory against Oswego is simple.
“Staying consistent for the full 40 minutes and just limiting our mistakes as much as possible to get the job done.”