SUNY Cobleskill Womens Basketball Advance to NAC West Division Championship

COBLESKILL — The SUNY Cobleskill women’s basketball team cruised to a 92-30 win over VTSU-Johnson in the NAC West Division Quarterfinals on Friday night at the Iorio Gymnasium.

Logan Thayne (Hoosick Falls, NY) led the charge with a dominant 32-point, 13-rebound performance, securing her 12th consecutive double-double and 23rd of the season. Thayne was locked in, shooting 13-of-22 from the field (59.1%), drilling five three-pointers on 10 attempts (50%), and knocking down her lone free throw. Senior guard Annie Canales (North Adams, MA/Hoosac Valley) caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting four triples on her way to 14 points. Taylor Meacham (Berne, NY/BKW) showcased her all-around game with 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and three steals while shooting an efficient 5-of-7 from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from the line. Cara Walker (Phelps, NY/Midlakes) stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and a steal, while Antonia May (Amsterdam, NY) chipped in nine points and four assists.

Cobleskill controlled every facet of the game, shooting 42.7 percent from the floor compared to Johnson’s 23.4 percent and outpacing the visitors from deep, 10 three-pointers to just two. The Fighting Tigers dominated the glass with a 58-30 rebounding advantage, turning those extra possessions into 26 second-chance points. Their defensive pressure forced 26 turnovers while committing just eight, converting those giveaways into 30 points. Cobleskill’s bench contributed 27 points, adding to an already lopsided affair, and the Tigers flexed their dominance inside with a 38-16 advantage in points in the paint.

Setting the tone early, Cobleskill blitzed Johnson with an 18-0 run in the first six minutes, fueled by seven points from May and relentless defensive pressure that led to seven forced turnovers. Canales drained back-to-back threes to extend the lead to 24-2 with 2:20 left in the opening quarter. The Tigers continued to smother the Badgers, closing out the first with a commanding 31-2 lead.

The onslaught continued in the second as Thayne scored back-to-back buckets to ignite another Cobleskill surge. A three-pointer from Thayne off a Walker assist pushed the lead to 45-6 with over three minutes remaining in the half. Johnson struggled to find any rhythm, as the Tigers’ defense held firm. Thayne buried consecutive threes in the final minute and a half, sending Cobleskill into the locker room with a staggering 55-9 advantage.

The Fighting Tigers didn’t take their foot off the gas, opening the third quarter with nine straight points, including five more from Thayne. Meacham then set up Walker for an easy layup to extend the lead to 66-12. Amber MacNeil (Hoosick Falls, NY) added to the margin, grabbing an offensive rebound and finishing at the rim to give Cobleskill a 70-14 edge heading into the final quarter.

Thayne connected on her fifth three-pointer of the night to give the Tigers their largest lead at 78-17 with six minutes left. Free throws from Tryhnati Donato (Stamford, NY) and Laci Prignon (Dryden, NY) capped off the scoring as Cobleskill rolled to a dominant 92-30 postseason victory.

The Fighting Tigers will take on No. 3 seed Lesley University in the NAC West Division Championship on Saturday, February 22, at 2:00 p.m. in the Iorio Gymnasium.