BEVERLY, MASS. - Cortland shot 65 percent from the field, including 68 percent in the first half to build an 11-point lead, and the Red Dragons defeated Franklin & Marshall, 75-66, in the opening round of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament at Endicott College.
 
Cortland (24-4) will face the host Gulls (27-1) in the second round at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Endicott defeated Neumann, 96-82, in Friday's second game.

Cortland earned its first NCAA playoff victory since 2016, and the Red Dragons tied the school single-season record for victories. Three previous Cortland teams finished with 24-5 records - 1999-2000, 2005-06 and 2012-13.
 
Kendall Arcuri (Staten Island/St. Joseph by-the-Sea) led Cortland with 20 points and 10 rebounds. he shot 6-of-8 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from the 3-point arc, and was 5-of-6 from the foul line. He also dished out four assists and blocked two shots.
 
Joel Davis (Watertown) scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half. He ended 7-of-9 from the floor. Aaron Coston (Kerhonkson/Rondout Valley) totaled 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, and Nolan Raymond (Queens Village/Vermont Academy) scored 11 points off the bench
 
Kevin Nowoswiat led F&M (22-6) with 20 points and six rebounds. Vakaris Grauslys scored 14 points and handed out four assists, Franklin Jones scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and Steve Donahue tallied 10 points. F&M and Cortland faced each other for the first time in their programs' history.
 
Cortland led 27-23 with five minutes left in the first half before going on a 9-0 run to take a 36-23 lead with 2:23 remaining. Davis scored the first five points of the run on a 3-pointer and a jumper, followed by a Gavyn Pacheco (Hopewell Junction/John Jay-East Fishkill) steal and layup and, two possessions later, a Coston layup.
 
Cortland led 36-25 at the half behind 15-of-22 shooting from the field compared to 11-of-28 (39 percent) for the Diplomats. The Red Dragons' lead fluctuated between 10 and 13 points over the first 10 minutes of the second half. F&M eventually closed to within six at 68-62 on a Nowoswiat 3-pointer with 1:16 left. Raymond answered with two free throws with 1:03 left and, after a F&M missed trey, Davis hit two free throws with 43 seconds left to put Cortland up by 10 and seal the win.
 
Cortland finished the game 26-of-40 from the floor, including 7-of-15 from 3-point range, and 16-of-21 from the foul line. F&M shot 43 percent overall, 8-of-21 from the arc, and was 6-of-10 from the charity stripe.