FIGHTING TIGER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OPENS NEAC SCHEDULE WITH 82-68 LOSS TO SUNY POLYTECHNIC

Cobleskill, N.Y.: After an extended Thanksgiving break the SUNY Cobleskill women's basketball team opened their North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) season on Wednesday evening with an 82-68 loss to the defending league champion SUNY Polytechnic Institute Wildcats at the Iorio Gymnasium. With the loss the Fighting Tigers fall to 2-2 overall with a 0-1 mark in league action while the Wildcats improve to 3-0 overall with a 1-0 conference record.

The Fighting Tigers led 43-33 at the half and by as many as 13 points with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter at 53-40 before the defending conference champions mounted an impressive comeback led offensively by senior guard Stevie Ray, Syracuse, N.Y., Fabius-Pompey High School, who scored 23 points in the second half as part of a 43 point overall effort. This coupled with a stellar Wildcat defensive performance that held Cobleskill to only eight fourth quarter points keyed the victory for the visitors from Marcy.

In defeat freshman guard Shaliyah Graham, Bronx, N.Y., Martin Luther King High School, was exceptional for the Fighting Tigers with a career high of 20 points on the evening to go with three steals and a pair of assists. Senior guard/forward Ashley Creighton, Niskayuna, N.Y., Catholic Central High School/Schenectady Community College, finished with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists for the home team while senior forward Shelby Preston, Ravena, N.Y., Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School, had 12 points and seven rebounds on the night.

The Orange & Black will return to action over the weekend when they host conference rivals Keuka College on Saturday December 3^rd at 1:00 p.m. and Wells College on Sunday December 4^th at 12:00 p.m. as part of a pair of league doubleheaders with the Fighting Tiger men's team who are slated to tip-off at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.