Late Three, Free Throws Give Cayuga Win Over Finger Lakes

A late three-pointer by Scott Minnoe and a great afternoon from the foul line pushed the Cayuga Community College Men's Basketball Team to a road victory over Finger Lakes Community College on Saturday.

The Spartans led for much of the contest, but the Lakers (12-7, 3-2) fought back to knot the score at 74 with four minutes left. Tied at 76 with 1:10 left, Minnoe sank a three and later connected on four free throws to give Cayuga the 84-77 conference win.

"We really played well defensively, and our rebounding limited them to one shot and got us some second-chance opportunities," said Cayuga Coach Tony Borges. "We wanted to slow the game down, drive the ball and get to the free-throw line, and then play good man-to-man defense and trap some. When we defend like that, and keep them to one shot, we've got a good chance of picking up a win."

Guards Stanley Beato and Deonte Holder paced the Spartans' offense with a combined 23 points in the first half, while Cayuga out-rebounded the Lakers and tallied five steals to build an early lead. Two late three-pointers by the Lakers, including a running shot at the buzzer, cut the Spartans' first half lead to 40-37.

Cayuga protected a small lead for much of the second half, with the Lakers pulling close and finally taking a 76-74 lead before Holder tied the game with a short jumper at the three-minute mark. A defensive stand set-up Minnoe's go-ahead three-pointer, and the Spartans relied on steady free-throw shooting to cement the win.

Holder finished with a team-high 25 points, while Beato added 20 points and 11 rebounds. Minnoe and forward Isaiah Landres finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively. 

Cayuga out-rebounded the Lakers 42-30 and sank 23 of 27 free-throws, while the Lakers made only 3-of-6 foul shots.

The win pushes the Spartans to a 6-9 overall record, and a 2-2 mark in the Mid-State Athletic Conference.

The Spartans return home for a conference game against Tompkins-Cortland Community College on Wednesday, January 22. Tip-off is 7 p.m.