FIGHTING TIGER WOMEN DEFEAT WORD OF LIFE BIBLE INSTITUTE TO SET NEW PROGRAM MARK FOR VICTORIES AT 23-4

The SUNY Cobleskill women’s basketball team’s senior class went out in style last night in Cobleskill, NY defeating the visiting Huskies of Word of Life Bible Institute by a 67-45 margin to close the regular season with a 23-4 overall record. The victory establishes a new program record for most wins in a single season and solidifies the senior classes’ position as the program’s winningest recruiting class in history with a 45-10 career record. The Fighting Tigers will now wait for their seeding in the 2006 NJCAA Region III Division III Tournament which will be announced on Sunday evening February 26th.

“I thought that it being senior night and with everything surrounding the game that we were defocused initially,” said Fighting Tiger Head Coach Josh Suttles. “When it’s all said and done we accomplished what we wanted to accomplish setting the school record for victories and sending the senior class off on a winning note in front our home fans. We will now await the tournament selection committee’s decision on who and when we play and spend the next week working on regaining our focus and getting ready for the post season.”

Freshman point guard Meghan Smida, Cobleskill, NY, Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, came off the bench to score a career high of 20 points to go with five steals and senior NJCAA All-American forward Dee Dee Smith, Monticello, NY, Redemption Christian Academy, brought closure to her career with a 16 point, 12 rebound, three assist, three steal performance.

Cobleskill also benefited from strong play on the inside from: senior center Crystal Ferrer, Bronx, NY, Redemption Christian Academy, with six points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots, freshman forward Kim McMillen, Greenville, NY, Greenville High School, with four points and eight rebounds and from freshman reserve forward Allyssa Markey, Warrensburg, NY, Warrensburg High School, with five points and eight rebounds. Senior guard/forward Kim Stall, Scotia, NY, Scotia-Glenville High School, also contributed nine points on the evening while senior forward Tahara Pleasure, Albany, NY, Albany High School, scored three points, grabbed a career high of 13 rebounds and passed out three assists on the night.

The Fighting Tigers will now await their Region III Tournament Seeding and will prepare for either a first round home play-off game on Tuesday February 28th or a bye to the regional quarterfinals to be held at Cayuga Community College in Auburn, NY beginning on Friday March 3rd. The 2006 Region III Division III Championship Tournament will be hosted by Cayuga Community College from Friday March 3rd thru Sunday March 5th with the regional champion advancing to the 2006 NJCAA Division III National Championship Tournament to be  hosted by Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, NY running from Thursday March 16th thru Saturday March 18th.