SUNY Cobleskill Defeats Lesley - Earns Home Court for NAC Championship

COBLESKILL – The SUNY Cobleskill women’s basketball team secured its second straight North Atlantic Conference (NAC) West Division Championship in emphatic fashion, rolling past Lesley University 104-41 on Saturday afternoon in Iorio Gymnasium to punch their ticket to the NAC Championship.

The Fighting Tigers were powered by their senior trio of Cara Walker (Phelps, NY/Midlakes), Logan Thayne (Hoosick Falls, NY), and Antonia May (Amsterdam, NY), who all notched double-doubles with 20 or more points. Walker led the charge with a game-high 22 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists, shooting an efficient 9-of-13 from the floor, including 1-of-3 from deep and a perfect 3-of-3 from the line. Thayne extended her double-double streak to 13 games, finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block while shooting 6-of-14. May poured in 20 points behind four three-pointers, adding 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block. Annie Canales (North Adams, Mass/Hoosac Valley) provided a spark from beyond the arc, knocking down four triples on her way to 14 points.

Cobleskill remains perfect at home this season, improving to 13-0, and dominated every facet of the game. The Fighting Tigers shot 49.3 percent from the field while holding Lesley to just 29.2 percent, including a 37.5 percent to 15.4 percent advantage from three-point range. They overwhelmed the Lynx on the glass with a 59-26 rebounding margin, leading to a 17-4 edge in second-chance points. Cobleskill’s crisp ball movement resulted in 26 assists to Lesley’s 10, while their defense turned 18 Lesley turnovers into 29 points. The bench made an impact as well, outscoring Lesley’s reserves 33-7, and the Tigers' dominance in the paint (42-16) ensured a wire-to-wire victory.

The Fighting Tigers wasted no time setting the tone, racing out to a 10-0 lead by the 7:20 mark of the first quarter after a deep three-pointer from May, assisted by Taylor Meacham. May then found Thayne for an easy layup as Cobleskill built a commanding 14-0 advantage within the first four minutes. Walker got in on the action with three straight points to push the lead to 22-6 before Canales buried a three-pointer in the final moments to give Cobleskill a 27-15 lead after one.

The second quarter saw Cobleskill’s defense take over, holding Lesley to just eight points while forcing seven turnovers. A jumper by Mady Victorin (Menands, NY/Shaker), set up by Meacham, gave the Tigers their largest lead of the game to that point at 36-16. Thayne then stepped outside and drilled a three-pointer to cap a 15-0 Cobleskill run, stretching the lead to 43-16. Canales continued her hot hand, sinking another three-pointer in the final seconds of the half, sending the Tigers into the break with a commanding 56-23 advantage.

The Fighting Tigers picked up right where they left off, storming out of the gates with a 13-3 run to extend their lead to 69-26 midway through the third. Canales’ fourth triple of the afternoon pushed the lead even further as Cobleskill entered the fourth quarter up 75-31.

Talia Washington (Schenectady, NY) opened the final frame with back-to-back three-pointers, pushing Cobleskill’s lead to the 50-point mark at 86-36 with eight minutes remaining. The Fighting Tigers continued to pour it on, and a pair of late free throws from Amber MacNeil (Hoosick Falls, NY) sealed Cobleskill’s highest scoring output of the season at 104 points.

With the win, the Fighting Tigers advance to the NAC Championship for the second consecutive year and will host Maine Maritime Academy next Saturday, March 1, at 1:00 p.m. in Iorio Gymnasium with a conference title on the line.