A cold second half shooting was too much for the Tompkins Cortland Community College men's basketball team to overcome as the Panthers dropped a home game to SUNY Adirondack on Saturday, 80-69. Tompkins Cortland is now 5-6 overall and 5-5 in regional play. Adirondack is 6-9 overall and 4-7 in region.

Adirondack led most of the first half, leading by as many as nine points before the Panthers made a run at the end of the half to pull within one at the break, 35-34. With the first possession coming out of halftime, Cristian Rosa (Yonkers/Lincoln H.S.) drained a 3-pointer to give Tompkins Cortland its first lead of the game.  The teams traded the lead four times over the next few minutes, but after taking a 42-40 led, the Panthers went cold. As the Panthers struggled to put the ball in the net, the Timberwolves scored ten straight to regain the lead. The home team pulled back within a possession several times, and trailed by just a point with five minutes left, but Adirondack pulled away over the closing minutes to douse any chance the Panthers had of making another comeback.

Joel Davis (Watertown/Watertown H.S.) continued his strong play, going for 13 points and 16 rebounds to post his seventh double-double of the season. Rosa and Tysheen Lott (Buffalo/Health Science Center) each had 12 points and Damari Johnson (Binghamton/Johnson City H.S.) added 10 points. Justin Peeples (Arlington, Penn./Burlington County Institute of Technology West) had a well-rounded state line of six points, seven rebounds, and a team-best five assists.

Looking ahead

The Panthers host Hudson Valley Community College on Sunday.