FIGHTING TIGERS POST 54-52 ROAD VICTORY OVER HUDSON VALLEY

If you ask SUNY Cobleskill men’s basketball coach Kevin McCarthy which is his least favorite Mountain Valley Conference facility to play in, Hudson Valley Community College’s McDonough Complex might very well be the answer. Entering Thursday night’s conference meeting with the Vikings, the Fighting Tigers had only won three games in eleven years in Troy.

In typical Viking/Fighting Tiger fashion, it came down to the last possession and when the final buzzer sounded it was Cobleskill on the winning end of a 54-52 margin to move to 6-4 on the season with a perfect 2-0 record in MVC play. The victory was the Fighting Tigers first in the McDonough Complex since December 2, 1998 when Cobleskill beat the Vikings 97-65 behind 26 points from NJCAA All-American Byron Perry, Syracuse, NY.

“This is a great win for our kids because it validates many of the things we’ve been preaching in practice,” said McCarthy. “Tonight we didn’t play what many would call a perfect basketball game. We missed some easy shots and turned the ball over too many times. But since I don’t personally believe there is such a thing as a perfect basketball game I will content myself with the fact that we played hard, played together with a purpose and played defense. That’s what it’s all about in this league if you want to contend and we’re starting to move in that direction.”

Senior shooting guard Brandon Smith, East Orange, NJ, East Orange High School, continued his strong play leading the Fighting Tigers in scoring for the third consecutive game with 18 points and a career high eight rebounds on the night while freshman swingman Prince Jackson, Schenectady, NY, Schenectady High School, posted his second career double/double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman center Derek Janukajtis, Red Hook, NY, Red Hook High School, worked the paint effectively with seven points, five rebounds and a blocked shot. Freshman forward David Swaby, New Rochelle, NY, New Rochelle High School, helped out inside with four points and seven rebounds with freshman forward Andy Menhennett, Endicott, NY, Union-Endicott High School, chipping in two points to go with six rebounds and three assists. Senior point guard Chris Holmes, Onondaga, NY, Onondaga High School, added six points and three assists to the Fighting Tiger victory totals.

The Fighting Tigers next travel to Lake Placid, NY for a game versus North Country Community College on Saturday December 7th beginning at 1:00 PM.

TIGER NOTES: The Fighting Tigers continued to be a presence on the glass grabbing 15 offensive rebounds on the night. The Fighting Tigers have now won three games in a row the team’s longest win streak of the season. Cobleskill connected on eight of eleven free throws in the contest.