Lancaster, Pa.: Senior guard Alexis Nunez, White Plains, N.Y., White Plains High School, erupted for a career high 33 points as the SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team moved one step closer to an NCAA Division III Tournament Bid by defeating Penn State Abington 79-69 in the Semi-Finals of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Men's Basketball Championship Tournament hosted by Lancaster Bible College. With the victory the Fighting Tigers improve to 16-10 overall on the year while the Nittany Lions close the season with a 10-17 record.

The Fighting Tigers came out on fire from the opening tip as Nunez connected on 7-of-9 first half field goal attempts while going 3-for-3 from the free throw line for 17 points in the period to stake the New Yorkers to a 37-24 half time advantage.

In the second half, Cobleskill increased their lead to 52-30 with 14:50 left in regulation before the Nittany Lions pulled to within six points at 68-62 with 3:50 left to play. However that was as close as Penn State would get as down the stretch Nunez and senior forward Cortrell King, Brentwood, N.Y., Upper Christian Reading Room High School/Suffolk Community College, would combine for nine points to put the game out of reach.

Nunez led all scorers in the contest with his 33 points to go with four assists and four rebounds with junior center Travis Woods, Mount Upton, N.Y., Unatego High School, scoring 17 points and taking down a team high eight rebounds in the contest.

The Fighting Tigers also received strong all-around play off their bench with Cortrell King scoring six points, hauling down seven rebounds and blocking three shots and junior guard Michael Hutchinson, Brooklyn, N.Y., Prospect Heights High School, scoring seven points in a reserve role. Freshman guard Malik Chambers, West Point, N.Y., James I. O'Neil High School, was also a factor off the bench for the Orange & Black with five points and an assist.

Cobleskill will next meet the tournament's top seeded and host team Lancaster Bible College on Sunday March 1 at 2:00 p.m. for the NEAC Championship and the league's NCAA Automatic Tournament Bid. Lancaster advanced to the league's championship game by defeating Keuka College 62-53 in the day's other semi-final contest.

During the regular season the Chargers, currently 24-2 overall, defeated the Fighting Tigers in Cobleskill, N.Y. on February 14 by a 55-54 margin on a last second buzzer beating lay-up.