MIAMI SHORES, Fla.– Eastern University Men's Basketball held a 60-56 lead with five minutes to play, but the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons closed the game on a 15-2 run to pull away to a 71-62 result in the opening match of the HoopMIA D3 Holiday shootout. Victor Peña scored 11 points to lead a balanced Eastern attack in the loss.

How It Happened:
The game featured two very different halves. The scout on the Red Dragons had two players at the top of the list. Forwards Eric Grunder and Austin Edwards were both featured in nearly every set in the Cortland attack and both averaged about 20 points per game. The duo combined for all 35 Cortland points in the first half.

Even with those two finding points and hitting tough shots, the Eagles held a 29-27 lead with four minutes remaining in the first half. The Eagles shot 14-of-27 from the floor and led for over eight minutes of the half. Grundar scored the final 11 Cortland points of the first to put the Red Dragons up. Eastern shot three free throws in the half and the Red Dragons did not shoot one.

Grunder had 23 points at the break.

Eastern (4-5) scored the first seven points of the second half to lead 38-35. Sam Gallardo hit a three-pointer and a lay-up and had a steal in the burst. It looked like the Eagles were going to stretch the lead to five on a steal from Gabe Perez, but the junior forward was called for a travel on the pass ahead to Clifton Adams.

The Eagles did eventually build the lead to five on a finish inside from Perez, but the Red Dragons found a different answer in the second half. After going nearly 25 minutes with only two players scoring, Cortland got a lay-up from Isaiah Preston and 3-pointers from AJ Lawton and Ryan Schmadel in a 10-2 run.

Down 46-42, the Eagles went inside to William Blet and Michael Bowlers for consecutive baskets to tie the game. Perez hit a 3-pointer from in front of the Eastern bench to put the Eagles up 49-46. Edwards answered with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the game. After Peña scored inside, Edwards hit a pair of free throws and Ben Walters scored underneath to put Cortland back up.

After a three-point play from Adams, Draig Ruff made a floater in the lane to put the Eagles up 56-54 before Cortland again got to the line to tie the game. Cortland had a 20-to-2 edge in free throws in the second half. Michale Bowlers scored on back-to-back possessions to give the Eagles a final four-point edge.

The next three Cortland baskets all came from 3-point range. Schmadel made the first one and Lawton made the next two. The third 3-pointer of the run came after an offensive rebound on a missed free throw. The Eagles managed a put-back basket from Blet to close to within four, but the Red Dragons made their free throws in the final seconds to pull away. Cortland shot 6-of-11 from 3-point range in the second half. 

Blet and Adams each had ten points and Ruff and Perez each added nine. Bowlers had eight. Blet finished with a team-high seven rebounds. Grunder did not make a field goal in the second half but finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds.

Coach Pruessner Says:
"Another great effort from our guys tonight. We played 35 good minutes but we did not execute down the stretch. We really struggled to guard the three point line and need to figure out how to do a better job with bigger lineups.  It was another great opportunity to be put in end game situations where we need to get better. We will continue to learn more and develop to get better in those situations."

Up Next:
The Eagles will have on day to recover before taking on the College of Saint Joseph's on Tuesday at 4:00 pm. The Blue Jays are coached by former UConn Head Coach Jim Calhoun.