Cobleskill Mens Basketball Drops Home Decision to Williams College

Cobleskill - The Fighting Tigers ran into a red-hot Williams College squad on Tuesday night, falling 84-41 in Iorio Gymnasium.

Senior Jermaine Wheeler (Manhattan, NY/Marist) led Cobleskill with 10 points and five rebounds, knocking down 5-of-10 from the floor. First-year Marquay Tanksley (Cohoes, NY) added eight points, four rebounds, an assist, and a block, while sinking a pair of threes. Devin Dennard (Elmira, NY) provided a spark off the bench with eight points, including two triples, while Elijah Morris (Mount Vernon, NY) and Quanire Greene (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn) chipped in six points apiece.

On a tough shooting night, Cobleskill connected on just 24.6 percent from the field and 14.8 percent from beyond the arc, while Williams shot a blistering 57.9 percent overall and 29.2 percent from deep. The Ephs controlled the boards, outrebounding the Tigers 53-23, and moved the ball well with 22 assists to Cobleskill’s 10. Turnovers were close, with Williams committing 11 to Cobleskill’s nine, but the Ephs made them count, converting for 16 points off miscues compared to just six for the Tigers. The visitors also owned the paint with a 50-16 scoring edge inside, added a 10-5 advantage in fast break points, and outscored Cobleskill’s bench 20-16.

Williams jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead before Tanksley drilled back-to-back threes to trim the gap to 14-12 with just over 14 minutes left in the first half. The Ephs responded with a surge of their own, stretching the lead to 23-14 and later pushing it to 32-21. Morris knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 34-23, but Williams closed the half on a 9-0 run, fueled by transition buckets and three-pointers, to take a 43-23 advantage into the break.

The Ephs kept their foot on the gas in the second half, opening with a 15-2 run to put the game out of reach. Dennard connected on his second three of the night at the 8:52 mark, but Williams never let up, maintaining control to secure the road win.

Cobleskill looks to bounce back on Saturday, February 1, when they travel for a North Atlantic Conference showdown at SUNY Delhi. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m.