Castine, ME: In a thrilling showdown between divisional leaders, SUNY Cobleskill narrowly fell to Maine Maritime Academy, 61-57, in a Sunday afternoon clash.

Logan Thayne (Hoosick Falls, NY) proved once again why she's one of the premier players in the region, notching her NCAA-leading 16th double-double of the season. Thayne dominated with 15 points, 14 rebounds (seven on each end), four assists, and a block. Cara Walker (Phelps, NY/Midlakes) added 12 points, eight boards, and two assists, drilling 2-of-5 from downtown. Antonia May (Amsterdam, NY) contributed 12 points, six rebounds, and a steal in a hard-fought contest.

The game was a back-and-forth slugfest, featuring 10 lead changes and 6 ties. Cobleskill's offense struggled to find its groove, shooting just 28.2 percent from the field, while Maine Maritime found a better rhythm, hitting 41.1 percent of their attempts. Cobleskill struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 21.1 percent of their three-point attempts, compared to Maine Maritime's 46.7 percent. However, the Fighting Tigers were physical on the boards, hauling in 54 rebounds and converting several into 19 second-chance points. They outscored the Mariners in the paint, 28-24, but the bench battle tilted in favor of Maine Maritime, 17-12.

Thayne got things rolling for Cobleskill with a put-back and-one to put the Tigers up early, 3-2. Kyra Pence (Randolph, NY) banked in a pull-up jumper to knot it up at 8-8 midway through the first. Both teams traded blows, refusing to give an inch, with Kayleigh Bryant (Schenevus, NY) grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring a put-back to bring the Tigers within one, 15-14. Annie Canales (North Adams, Mass/Hoosac Valley) buried a three to give Cobleskill a 17-15 edge heading into the second.

Walker's deep triple early in the second extended Cobleskill's lead to 20-15, followed by another Canales dagger that made it 27-21. Pence's layup capped a commanding 33-21 run, and May's late jumper and free throw sent Cobleskill into the locker room with a 38-26 halftime lead.

The Mariners came out swinging in the third, cutting the lead to 39-34 within three minutes. Buckets from Taylor Meacham (Berne, NY/BKW) and Thayne steadied the ship, pushing the lead back to 43-34. Both defenses tightened up, and Cobleskill held a 45-38 advantage heading into the fourth.

Maine Maritime made an early push in the final quarter, cutting the gap to 45-43. May answered with a driving layup, but a Mariners three-pointer with 6:40 left gave them their first lead since the first quarter. May drove again to reclaim the lead, 49-48, and Walker's clutch triple tied it at 52-52. Thayne took over in crunch time, scoring five straight points, including key offensive boards, to tie it at 57-57 with 2:40 remaining. In a game that was fought tooth and nail to the final whistle, Maine Maritime edged out the victory in the closing moments.

Cobleskill will look to bounce back on Friday, January 24, when they travel to VTSU-Lyndon for a conference contest at 5:30 p.m.