CORTLAND, N.Y. – The College at Brockport men's basketball team, which was recently ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Division III East Region, went head-to-head with league rivals SUNY Cortland on Wednesday, narrowly missing, 73-72.
 
The Golden Eagles fall to 15-8 on the year with a 10-6 mark in the league while the Red Dragons improve to 17-7, and 10-6 in conference play.
 
Brockport had five players in double figures, with Clifton Lyerly leading the way with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Olusola Adeniran and Levi Pace each turned in 12 points with Matthew Smith and Devonn Gavin each netting 10 points apiece.
 
As a team, the Golden Eagles shot a solid 52.8 percent (28-53) from the filed, but were plagued at the line, posting 50 percent (11-of-22) shooting. Brockport cashed in on 12 Red Dragon turnovers, only committing eight as a team and edged Cortland in the paint, by a margin of 42-30.
 
Head coach Greg Dunne's squad posted a strong first half of action, shooting a hot 64.3 percent (18-of-28) from the floor, and draining three triples. Brockport got off to a hot start behind a 9-2 run, with buckets from Adeniran, Smith and Lyerly to post the early lead.
 
After three ties, the Golden Eagles pushed a 17-2 run, featuring a pair of treys from Ryan McCarthy to reach their largest lead of the contest with 4:36 to play in the half at 37-22. Despite a Red Dragon run to close the half, a Pace layup at the buzzer helped the Golden Eagles maintain a double digit lead and take a 43-31 advantage heading into the break.
 
Adeniran led the way at the midway point with 10 points, while Smith chipped in eight on 3-of-4 shooting, and Pace and McCarthy each netted six. The Green and Gold forced 11 Cortland turnovers, committing only five.
 
In the second half, the Golden Eagles maintained a healthy distance from their counterparts, holding a double-digit lead to the 12:08 mark after a Pace lay-in made the count 55-44.  
 
A charging Red Dragon squad proved hard for the Golden Eagles to hold off, and after a 7-3 run, Brockport found themselves trailing for the first time since the opening minutes of the half at 63-62 with 4:42 to play.
 
Brockport's attempts to regain an advantage were thwarted, as the Red Dragons were red hot from the charity stripe down the stretch. A Gavin trey in the final seconds of the contest pulled the Green and Gold within one, but the comeback fell short as Brockport just missed, 73-72.
 
The Golden Eagles will wrap up the regular season this weekend, when they host Plattsburgh on Feb. 19 and Potsdam on Feb. 20. The game against the Bears will serve as senior day for the Green and Gold, with Brockport honoring its seniors in a ceremony held prior to tip off.
 
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