Troy, N.Y.: The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team returned to action on Thursday evening to post an upset 85-77 victory over the heavily favored host Gators of Russell Sage College in non-conference action. With the victory the Fighting Tigers break into the win column at 1-6 overall on the season while the Gators fall to 5-3 overall on the year.

The Fighting Tigers used hot shooting to take a 40-33 lead into the locker room at halftime shooting a blistering 57.7% from the field including 41.2% from three-point range on their way to their best shooting effort of the season connecting on 30-of-53, 56.6%, of their field goal attempts including 11-of-27, 40.7%, from three-point range secure the victory.

Defensively Cobleskill held the Gators to only 28-of-79, 35.4%, from the field on their home floor and limited them to only 6-of-24, 25.0%, from three-point range on the evening.

Senior forward Juwan Malone, Brooklyn, N.Y., Brooklyn Collegiate High School/Fulton-Montgomery Community College, scored a team high of 20 points to go with nine rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocked shots while freshman guard Sharaim Best, Valley Stream, N.Y., Elmont Memorial High School, chipped in a season high of 16 points.

The Orange & Black also received contributions from sophomore forward Naphtali Regilus, Roselle, N.J., Abraham Clark High School/Essex Community College, with 13 points and eight rebounds and from first-year swingman Yandeel Vazquez, Amsterdam, N.Y., Amsterdam High School, who tallied 13 points and four assists.

Cobleskill will next be in action when they travel to Delhi, N.Y. on Saturday to face the Broncos of SUNY Delhi in the team's North Atlantic Conference (NAC) opener with tip-off scheduled for 1:00 p.m.