Alfred, N.Y.: The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team took to the road on Saturday defeating Alfred University by a score of 84-81 in the opening round of the 2019 Special Tee's Tip-off Classic in a game played at Alfred State College. With the win the Fighting Tigers are now 2-0 overall on the year while the Saxons are now 1-1 overall on the season.

From the tip the Fighting Tigers showcased their speed and athleticism on the defensive end.  For the first 5 minutes of the game the Tigers defense caused 8 turnovers and helped them take a 9-7 lead with 14:15 minutes left in the first half.  Over the next ten minutes the Saxons battled back and took a 24-18 lead at the 5:13 mark in the first half.

The Tigers continued to grind and after a pair of free throws at the 4:41 mark from Khayri Harris (Queens, N.Y./ Springfield Gardens) the Saxon lead was cut down to 25-22.  Alfreds forward, Brewster Marshall helped extend the lead for the Saxons by scoring 7 straight points to give the Saxons a 10-point lead over the Tigers, 35-25.  Alfred controlled the last 4 minutes of the half and went into the half leading 41-30.  Khayri Harris led the Tigers at the half with 15 points, while the teams defense collected 10 steals.

After a talk from Coach Jake Scott, the Tigers came out with a point to prove in the second half.  Trailing 43-56 at the 15:47 minute mark, the Tigers went on a 16-3 run for the next 3 minutes and 39 seconds and tied the game up at 59-59 with 12:08 left in the game.  Cobleskill took a 63-61 lead after James Conteh (Queens, N.Y./ The Patrick School) hit a jump shot off an assist from Antwan Claxton (Bronx, N.Y./ Taft HS).  Both teams continued to battle to seize control of the game for the next 5 minutes of the game.

The Tigers were the first to gain control and jumped to their largest lead of the game 69-64 after a Kahlil Wilson (New York, N.Y./ Renaissance Charter) layup with 7:45 left in the game.  The Tigers would hold the lead till the 1:04 mark before Alfred would tie the game at 78-78. 

After a made free throw, the Saxons took a 79-78 lead with 43 seconds left in the game.  Senior Antwan Claxton stepped up in a big moment for the Tigers and hit a 3 pointer with 27 seconds left to give the Tigers an 81-79 lead that they wouldn't surrender. 

The final score ended 84-81 and moved the Tigers to 2-0 on the season.  Cobleskill outscored Alfred 54-40 in the second half to help propel them to victory.  The Fighting Tigers offense shot 43.3% from the field while their defense caused 29 turnovers.

Junior Khayri Harris led the Tigers with 25 points, 3 assists and 2 steals while shooting 60% from the field and 11 of 12 from the charity stripe.  Senior Antwan Claxton posted an impressive all-around stat line of 17 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks while shooting 5-6 for 83% from three-point range.  Junior James Conteh added 18 points and 5 assists while senior Daniel Owens (Albany, N.Y./ Christian Brothers Academy) posted 13 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.      
     
Cobleskill will close the classic on Saturday afternoon when they face the Pioneers of Alfred State College for a game to be played at Alfred University beginning at 2:00 p.m.