Late Defensive Stand Lifts Tigers to 72-70 Road Win at UMPI

COBLESKILL – The SUNY Cobleskill men’s basketball team rang in the new year with a hard-fought, down-to-the-wire road victory, holding on for a 72-70 win over the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Monday night inside Wieden Gymnasium.

Rowan Morel (Manhattan, NY) paced the Tigers with 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks, making key plays on both ends in crunch time. Andrew Wright (Berne, NY) was a steady presence in the paint, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists while shooting an efficient 5-of-6 from the field. Senior guard Chrischen Chung (Poughkeepsie, NY) knocked down three triples on his way to 10 points, while sophomore newcomer Emilio Nabli (Brooklyn, NY) provided an immediate spark off the bench in his Cobleskill debut, scoring nine points with four rebounds and two assists. Marquay Tanksley added nine points for the Tigers.

Cobleskill shot 46.7 percent from the field compared to UMPI’s 36.4 percent. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with the Tigers holding a slight edge at 29.2 percent to the Owls’ 25 percent. UMPI won the rebounding battle 44–36, but Cobleskill’s bench proved decisive, outscoring the Owls 32-12. The Tigers also held a narrow advantage in the paint, 34-32, while both teams finished with 15 turnovers.

UMPI opened the game with a 5-1 lead, but Cobleskill quickly settled in. A driving layup by Conor Holland (Marathon, NY) cut the deficit, and a Morel assist to Cameron Rhode (Elmira, NY) made it a one-point game. Fermin Fabian followed with a pull-up jumper to give the Tigers their first lead at 9-8. Wright went to work inside, scoring six straight points to push Cobleskill ahead 17-13 midway through the half.

Nabli scored his first points as a Fighting Tiger with a smooth pull-up jumper, and Cobleskill continued to build momentum. A Morel three, set up by Marquay Tanksley, extended the lead to 31-26, and a late deep ball from Nabli helped the Tigers take a 35–32 advantage into halftime.

Morel opened the second half with a three to stretch the lead to 38-34, and Cobleskill followed with a 9-3 run capped by an and-one finish from Wright to make it 46-39. Chung buried another triple to keep the Tigers in front 56–51 with under 10 minutes to play. Moments later, Morel jumped a passing lane for a steal and knocked down a jumper as part of an 8-0 stretch that kept Cobleskill in control.

UMPI responded with an 8–0 run of its own to knot the game at 59–59, but Wright answered with a strong finish at the rim to regain the lead. The Owls briefly pulled ahead with a three, but Morel took over, scoring four straight points to give Cobleskill a 65–62 edge with 3:38 remaining.

The Tigers built on that momentum as Tanksley converted an and-one and Nabli added a pull-up jumper to push the lead to 70-64. UMPI closed the gap late, but Cobleskill came up with a key defensive stop on the final possession to secure the 72-70 road victory.