FIGHTING TIGER WOMEN POST 50-41 ROAD WIN OVER BROOME CC

Coming off an upset road loss to Cayuga Community College on Sunday in the Championship of the Spartan Thanksgiving Classic in Auburn, NY, the SUNY Cobleskill women’s basketball team made the trip to Binghamton, NY last night to meet Broome Community College the team that ended the Fighting Tigers 2005 season in the Region III Tournament. After a 25-25 halftime tie, the Cobleskill defense asserted itself holding the Hornets to only 16 second half points in a 50-41 Fighting Tiger victory. With the win Cobleskill moves to 8-1 overall on the season.

“We played as good defensively tonight as we’ve played my entire time here at Cobleskill and that was the key to winning,” said Fighting Tiger Head Coach Josh Suttles. “We’ve preached to the kids this entire year that on some night’s offense may not be there but that defense is a constant. Defensively tonight we created a controlled chaos and totally disrupted their offensive flow. Our helpside defense was outstanding and I think we blocked eight shots tonight which is not normal for us. On offense the only thing I can say is that Dee Dee Smith refused to let us lose.”

On a night when points were hard to come by senior NJCAA All-American Dee Dee Smith, Monticello, NY, Redemption Christian Academy, asserted herself and carried the Fighting Tigers with a 20 point, 13 rebound, three assist, four steal effort. Senior center Crystal Ferrer, Bronx, NY, Redemption Christian Academy, also turned in another strong effort with eight points and 12 rebounds on the evening.

The Fighting Tiger backcourt of senior point guard Tanisha McClinton, Poughkeepsie, NY, Poughkeepsie High School, and freshman guard Erinn O’Rourke, South Glens Falls, NY, South Glens Falls High School, continued their solid play as McClinton scored eight points and passed out four assists while O’Rourke tossed in five points to go with three assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Senior forward Tahara Pleasure, Albany, NY, Albany High School, also played well off the Cobleskill bench with five points, three rebounds and three steals on the night.

Cobleskill will play their final road game of the semester on Thursday evening December 1st when they travel to Troy, NY to meet the Vikings of Hudson Valley Community College in a Mountain Valley Conference game with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 PM.

TIGER NOTES: The Fighting Tigers have posted a 6-1 road record to date on the season. Freshman Kelly Taggart, Sidney Center, NY, Franklin High School, is the sister of former Fighting Tiger men’s team member Scott Taggart who is currently starting at center for SUNY Cortland. Center Crystal Ferrer is among the Region III leaders in rebounding at 12.0 rebounds per game.