BUFFALO, N.Y.— Cortland pulled away from a tight game with a 15-2 second-half run, then held the Buffalo State men's basketball team at bay as the Bengals dropped their home finale Tuesday night, a 73-66 loss to the Red Dragons in SUNYAC action from the Sports Arena.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Cortland 73, Buffalo State 66
LOCATION: Buffalo State Sports Arena – Buffalo, N.Y.
RECORDS: Buffalo State (5-18, 4-12 SUNYAC), Cortland (12-11, 8-8)
 
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• DaRon Hughey (Hartford, CT/The Masters School) led the Bengals with 20 points off the bench, grabbing six rebounds.
• Philbert Weekes (Brooklyn, NY/Lafayette) tallied his sixth consecutive double-double, finishing with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
• Marquell Boutwell (Liverpool, NY/Nottingham) and Argjend Imeri (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham) each added eight points.
• The Bengals shot 42.6 percent (29-of-68) from the field and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.

 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Buffalo State fell down by double digits early, with deft shooting by Austin Grunder giving the visitors a 25-15 lead.
• The Bengals stepped up on the defensive end as they cut into the deficit, led by steals by Imeri and Matt Parkinson (Springfield Gardens, NY/John Bowne).
• A 17-4 run, capped by a Hughey 3-pointer gave Buffalo State its first lead of the game at 32-29.
• Riley McEvoy hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, tying the game at 32.
• Both teams were held off the board in the final 1:38 of the half, as the teams headed into the locker room tied at 32.
•  A Hughey 3-pointer and a Weekes hook shot in consecutive possessions gave the hosts a five -point lead to begin the second half.
• The lead would change hands over the next six minutes, with Imeri giving the Bengals a 45-42 lead at the 14:12 mark.
• The Red Dragons took advantage of a cold shooting spell by the Bengals, taking control of the game with a 15-2 run, capped by a Kareem Lubin three-point play.
• The Bengals would bring the deficit to seven on multiple occasions, only for the Red Dragons to answer with another basket.
• The Bengals would score six consecutive points in the final 1:43, but it was too little, too late as the Red Dragons held on to victory.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Grunder, entering the evening 20 points shy of 1,000 career points, led all scorers with 26 points, adding 13 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots.
• Lubin and Danny Linehan each added 12 points.
• The Red Dragons shot 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field in the win.

 
UP NEXT
Buffalo State will make the return trip to Cortland on Friday, facing the Red Dragons in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.