Castine, ME: The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team couldn't recover from an early deficit, falling to Maine Maritime Academy 79-51 in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) showdown on Sunday evening.

Chace Peterson (Troy, NY) paced the Fighting Tigers with a solid performance, posting 14 points, eight rebounds, and a steal while shooting 4-of-9 from the field. First-year standout Marquay Tanksley (Cohoes, NY) contributed 10 points, three steals, two assists, and a block, hitting 50 percent of his shots (5-of-10). Chrischen Chung (Poughkeepsie, NY/LaSalle) added nine points, all from beyond the arc, and chipped in two rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Junior guard Quanire Greene (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn) recorded seven points, four rebounds, and two assists.

Cobleskill faced an uphill battle as their shooting woes continued, finishing the game at 31.0 percent from the field. In contrast, Maine Maritime fired at an impressive 50.8 percent. The Tigers struggled from downtown, hitting just 26.3 percent of their three-point attempts, while the Mariners connected on 38.1 percent. Despite a close rebounding contest (34-33), the Mariners capitalized on second-chance opportunities and dominated the paint, outscoring the Tigers 42-18 inside.

The game opened with Maine Maritime racing to a 6-0 lead before Cobleskill responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by a Chung three-pointer to take an 8-6 advantage. Chung struck again from deep, giving the Tigers a 15-12 edge at the 12:29 mark. However, the Mariners responded with a game-changing 17-1 run over the next eight minutes, taking control with a 29-16 lead. Cobleskill trimmed the deficit to 38-27 at the half, capped by a Jermaine Wheeler layup in the closing seconds.

Maine Maritime opened the second half with a 7-0 spurt, extending their lead to 45-27. The Fighting Tigers struggled to find their rhythm offensively, and the Mariners continued to build on their advantage, leading 61-36 midway through the second half. Cobleskill couldn't close the gap, as Maine Maritime secured the 79-51 victory.

The Fighting Tigers will look to bounce back on Friday, January 24, when they travel to VTSU-Lyndon for a 7:30 p.m. NAC contest.