Marcy, N.Y.: The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team saw their dreams of a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship and a NCAA Division III Tournament appearance end on Tuesday evening as the Fighting Tigers lost a 72-51 decision to the host Wildcats of SUNY Polytechnic Institute in the First Round of the 2019 NEAC Championship Tournament. With the loss the Fighting Tigers fall to 15-11 overall on the year while the Wildcats advance to the tournament's semi-final round to be hosted by Morrisville State this weekend in Morrisville, N.Y. with a 14-12 overall record.

The Fighting Tigers could not contain the Wildcats on the backboards and in the paint throughout the evening as SUNY Polytechnic controlled the inside out rebounding the Fighting Tigers 50-to-34 while tallying 28 points in the paint to go with six blocked shots on the night to secure the victory.

Cobleskill junior point guard Daniel Owens, Albany, N.Y., Christian Brothers Academy/Herkimer Community College, had 12 points and eight rebounds on the evening while senior swingman Dashown Nelson, Brooklyn, N.Y., High School for Telecommunication Arts & Technology/SUNY Broome, also scored 12 points to go with five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Sophomore swingman Antwan Claxton, Bronx, N.Y., Taft High School, also reached double figures in scoring for the Orange & Black with 10 points and seven rebounds on the night.

The Fighting Tigers have been notified that they are under consideration for a bid to the 2019 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championship Tournament. Bids will be announced by Monday February 25^th.