Unbeaten SUNY Cobleskill Locks Down Alfred State, 49–40

Hannah Bonczkowski leads Tigers to 2-0 record with 14 points against Alfred State

COBLESKILL – The SUNY Cobleskill women’s basketball team kept its undefeated start rolling on Tuesday evening, grinding out a defensive 49–40 home victory over Alfred State inside Iorio Gymnasium. The Tigers once again leaned on their pressure, discipline, and hustle to secure another early-season win.

Hannah Bonczkowski (Gilbertsville, NY) led Cobleskill with 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting, including three makes from beyond the arc. The transfer guard added two rebounds, two assists, and three steals while providing scoring whenever the Tigers needed a lift. Sydney Delisle (Mechanicville, NY) reached double figures for the first time in her young career, finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals on a strong 4-of-10 shooting night.

Off the bench, Kate Hadwen (Fair Haven, VT) contributed six points and three assists, while Kyra Pence (Randolph, NY) gave Cobleskill another steady all-around performance with seven points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Inside, Mady Victorin (Menands, NY) owned the glass, pulling down a team-high 13 rebounds to go with three points. Junior Alyssa Martin (Castleton, NY) also provided an offensive spark with six points off the bench.

In a game dominated by defense, clean looks were hard to come by for both sides. Cobleskill shot 22.2 percent from the field while Alfred State finished at 21.8 percent. The Tigers knocked down five threes to the Pioneers’ one, but the biggest difference came from Cobleskill’s defensive pressure. The Tigers forced 28 turnovers - converting them into 21 points - and finished with 13 assists to Alfred’s five. Alfred held a slight 51-46 edge on the glass, but Cobleskill’s disruption controlled the rhythm of the game from start to finish.

After falling behind 1-0 early, Cobleskill responded with a 7-0 run capped by a Bonczkowski three assisted by Hadwen to take a 7-1 lead. Alfred State clawed back to make it 7-5 late in the first quarter, but free throws from Zaylee Ramos (Worcester, MA) helped the Tigers carry a 9-7 advantage into the second.

Alfred briefly cut the lead to one early in the second quarter, but Cobleskill held firm. With the Tigers ahead 15-14 after a pair of Pioneer free throws, Bonczkowski buried another three to spark a late push, sending Cobleskill into halftime with a 19-15 lead. Bonczkowski paced the Tigers at the break with six points while Pence added five. Victorin had already made her presence known with eight rebounds.

Bonczkowski opened the third quarter with a deep triple off a Delisle assist, and the Tigers soon stretched the lead to nine after Delisle splashed in another three to make it 27-18. Alfred stayed within striking distance and trimmed the margin to 29-24, but Delisle drilled a buzzer-beating three at the horn to send Cobleskill into the fourth quarter up 32-24.

A Bonczkowski free throw pushed the lead to 35-26 early in the fourth before Alfred mounted one final push, closing the gap to 40-36 with 4:41 remaining. The Tigers answered immediately, flipping the momentum with a clutch 6-0 run fueled by four points from Martin to take control at 46-36. From there, Cobleskill closed out the final minutes with steady defense and timely execution to secure the 49-40 victory.

Up Next:

The Fighting Tigers return to the court on Friday, November 21, for their first North Atlantic Conference contest of the season as they travel to UMaine-Farmington for a 7:30 p.m. showdown.