CORTLAND, NY
Cortland’s Men’s Basketball team took down Morrisville after an explosive game ending with a score of 59-54 on Friday, Feb. 7th. This SUNYAC matchup has contributed to Cortland standing at 11 wins and 3 losses within their conference and 12 wins and 9 losses overall.
“This team have been through a lot of adversity through this long season,” said Gaige Ambrewster, a junior player for Cortland. “But I have my full confidence that this team can get it done down the stretch.”
Photo from SUNY Cortland Athletics
This game follows a strong season for the Cortland Red Dragons. They currently sit in first place in the SUNYAC, right behind New Paltz, with a record of 14 wins and 6 losses. So far, Cortland is looking like an improved team compared to their satisfactory 2023-24 season, when they landed in fourth place in their conference.
Cortland started the season by showcasing what the new team has to offer at the Nazareth Mike Daley Basketball Tournament, losing their first game against RPI while winning their second game against conference rival Potsdam. It was a slow beginning to the season with Cortland only winning 2 of their first 9 games. But after that, they really came into form as they went on to win four straight games, only losing two games to date since the downswing at the start of the season.
The Red Dragons played in nine games during winter break (one was rescheduled due to weather), managing to win six of them. While our student body was home, Cortland put up some strong performances as they scored over 10 more total points than the opposition in all six games that they won.
So far, Cortland averages 69.5 points per game while allowing 67.4 points per game, resulting in a scoring margin of +2.1. They currently have a field goal percentage of 42.4% and a three-point shooting percentage of 33.4%, averaging 9.2 made three-pointers per game. On the defensive end, they hold opponents to a 28.2% success rate from beyond the arc.
As the Red Dragons prepare for the back half of the season, they have been hard at work to tackle the challenges ahead. “This team is nothing short of exciting. We’ve grown a lot over these past few months and have really been able to show that recently,” said the Cortland star junior Kendall Acuri. “We have really improved in working hard for each other and being good teammates on the court. With playoffs coming up, we are excited to continue to show the hard work we’ve put in.”
Photo from SUNY Cortland Athletics
Valentine’s Day is going to be a huge day for SUNYAC basketball as Red Dragons will be going head to head against each other in an exciting conference matchup against Oneonta. The season is looking bright with key players to look for being Kendall Acuri (#40), Aaron Coston (#24), and Isaiah Austin (#00). Catch them ball out in the Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium on Friday!