PURCHASE, NY – SUNY Cortland used a first-half surge to get past Purchase in the Panther season opener Friday night.

Senior guard Beth Bonin led the way for the visiting Red Dragons, recording 23 points in the team's 67-35 non-conference victory.

After Cortland put up four unanswered points to open the game, Purchase's Amani Graham (SR/Brooklyn, NY) broke the scoring ice for the home with a trip to the free throw line. The senior center connected again on the next Panther possession to put the team within one basket of Cortland's 6-4 lead.

The rally was short-lived, however, as the Red Dragon offense recorded a notable 3-point outburst that stretched their lead to 20-8 at the end of the first quarter.

Cortland continued to heat up, firing in another 16 points over the next 10 minutes to close the first half with a 36-17 lead over Purchase.

In the third quarter, Purchase was held to just four points. Senior guard Arta Krasniqi (Bronx, NY) opened the scoring with a jumper and sophomore guard Shadai Plowden (Yonkers, NY) followed with a layup at 7:30 (40-21). Cortland netted 15 points in the stanza and tacked on another 16 in the final 10 minutes en route to the 67-35 win.  

Purchase was led by Krasniqi, who finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Plowden chipped in with eight points and five boards, while senior guard Alfa DeJesus (Bronx, NY) and Graham had six points apiece. DeJesus led the defensive effort with seven rebounds.
 
For the game, Cortland held a 48-39 advantage in rebounds and converted 26 Purchase turnovers into 28 points. The Red Dragons shot 59 percent from the foul line and 33 percent from the floor. Purchase shot 60 percent from the charity stripe and 28 percent from the floor.

Purchase will travel to Baruch College next Tuesday (Nov. 19) to take on the Bearcats in a non-conference game starting at 5:30 p.m.