FIGHTING TIGER MEN POST 118-49 HOME WIN OVER WORD OF LIFE

The SUNY Cobleskill men’s basketball team returned to the friendly surroundings of the Iorio Gymnasium last night to post an impressive 118-49 victory over the Word of Life Bible Institute. With the win, the Fighting Tigers improve to 14-2 overall on the season and are currently ranked ninth in the latest NJCAA Division III National Poll.

“This is the kind of game where everyone gets to play, everyone gets to score and everyone gets to have some fun,” said Fighting Tiger Head Coach Kevin McCarthy. “Now it’s time for us to get ready to go to Herkimer tomorrow night where the competition is going to be quite a bit stiffer then what we saw tonight.”

Five Fighting Tigers posted double digit scoring efforts as the Orange & Black topped the century mark for the second consecutive game and fourth time this season. Senior power forward Anthony Armstead, Schenectady, NY, Schenectady High School, posted his second consecutive double/double with 21 points and 10 rebounds while senior forward Stanley Francois, Valley Cottage, NY, Suffern High School, added 19 points and nine rebounds. Senior swingman Brian Leadbetter, Schenectady, NY, Schenectady High School posted a season high of 16 points to go with six rebounds, four steals and three rebounds, as did senior center Kyle Mitchell’s, Hadley, NY, Hadley-Luzerne High School, who had a season and career high of 13 points to go with three rebounds. Freshman center Victor Ljuljojuraj, Yorktown Heights, NY, Lakeland High School, also reached double figures in scoring with 11 points and four rebounds on the night.

Cobleskill also received contributions from: senior guard Darryl Burns Jr., Brooklyn, NY, High School of Art & Design, who filled the stat line with eight points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds, as did freshman guard Nyquan Bellamy, Poughkeepsie, NY, Poughkeepsie High School, who chipped in five points and five assists and freshman swingman Gael Shungu, Burlington, VT, Rice Memorial High School, who scored six points and grabbed four points. Senior point Devon Williams, Brooklyn, NY, Franklin Lane High School, was also a factor in the contest with four points, four assists and two steals.

The Fighting Tigers will return to action on Thursday January 24th when they travel to Herkimer, NY, to meet the Generals of Herkimer Community College for a Mountain Valley Conference game with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 PM.

TIGER NOTES: The Fighting Tigers back-to-back 100 point efforts mark the first time the team has accomplished the feat since the 2001-02 season when Cobleskill defeated the Elmira College Junior Varsity 107-66 on November 11th, 2001 then beat SUNY Morrisville by a score of 102-77 on November 13th. Cobleskill connected on a season high of 50 of 70 shots for a season best 71.4% from the floor.