Red Dragons’ Three-Point Barrage Sinks Lakers in SUNYAC Championship

The chants started before halftime.

“Start the bus,” the Cortland crowd yelled going into halftime as Oswego’s offense stalled again and again inside Corey Gymnasium. By then, the ending was already taking shape, and it felt almost impossible for Oswego to come back. 

Ten years to the day after Cortland’s famous 0.4-second championship winner in 2016, the rivals met again with another SUNYAC crown on the line. This time, there was no last-second drama, just a red-hot shooting performance that Oswego never recovered from.

Cortland didn’t just beat Oswego in the SUNYAC championship Saturday. The Red Dragons overwhelmed the Lakers 84–51 behind a barrage of three-pointers and suffocating defense, securing back-to-back conference titles for the first time in program history.

The 33-point margin was historically significant; it marked the second-largest margin of victory in SUNYAC championship history since final scores began being consistently recorded in 1980. The only larger blowout came in 1983, when Potsdam defeated Buffalo State 94–60.

Coming in, the matchup figured to be tight. Cortland had won both regular-season meetings, but each was decided by five points. Instead, the Red Dragons flipped the script early. 

My father, who works at SUNY Cortland, asked me four hours before tip-off what I thought, and I told him, “If the Lakers got off to a good start, they had a real shot.”

Well… it was the worst start Oswego has had all season.

Oswego managed just 19 first-half points, shooting 21% from the field and 16% from three, roughly half of its season averages entering the game. Cortland’s defense forced rushed possessions and difficult looks, turning one of the SUNYAC’s most efficient offenses into one that looked completely out of rhythm.

At one point late in the half, even the scoreboard seemed to pile on, briefly flashing 141–19 before being corrected. It was a glitch, of course, but at the moment it didn’t feel all that far off.

Meanwhile, the Red Dragons were on fire.

Cortland hit nine threes in the first half alone, shooting 55% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc. What stood out most wasn’t just the makes, it was the quality of looks. Time and again, Cortland found open shooters while Oswego struggled to generate clean offense on the other end.

The tone was set early. Cortland jumped out to a 7–0 lead and quickly stretched the margin to 26–7 with nine minutes left in the first half. Oswego didn’t record its first field goal until the 14-minute mark.

Then came the exclamation point as Freshman Xavier Leveille brought the Corey Gymnasium crowd to its feet with a baseline alley-oop dunk, the first lob I’ve personally called in a Division III game, pushing Cortland’s momentum even further.

If Oswego hoped for a second-half comeback, it never materialized.

The Lakers had built a reputation as a strong second-half team this season, but Cortland never eased up. The Red Dragons continued to rain threes after the break, led by senior Aaron Coston.

Coston knocked down six triples and finished with a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds, repeatedly connecting from the top of the key. For a 6-foot-7 forward, his perimeter shooting proved especially difficult for Oswego to contain. As a team, Cortland finished 18-for-38 from three-point range, nearly 50%, and shot 51% overall from the field. Cortland’s 18 made threes tied the SUNYAC championship record, matching the program’s own mark set against Oswego in 2016.

Oswego never found an answer.

The Lakers endured their worst shooting performance of the season, finishing at 32% from the field and 15% from three. No Oswego player reached double figures, and the starting five of Fowler, Foster, Judd, McLane and Bradley combined for just 23 points, well below their typical production.

McGhee, who scored a career-high 30 points in the semifinal win over Oneonta, was limited to nine points off the bench. SUNYAC Player of the Year Deacon Judd finished with four points on 1-for-8 shooting before fouling out with 7:21 remaining.

The environment played a role.

In front of a listed crowd of 1,000, the largest Division III men’s basketball crowd I’ve personally witnessed, Cortland fed off its home energy from start to finish.

When the final buzzer sounded, history had come full circle.

The Red Dragons secured consecutive SUNYAC titles for the first time in program history, giving head coach Maurice Kearney his second championship at the helm and third overall with the program. Cortland moves on to March dancing into the NCAA tournament, while Oswego is left searching for answers after a night when the Red Dragons simply could not miss.