Farmington, ME – The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team came up short in its North Atlantic Conference opener on Friday night, falling 92-75 to the University of Maine–Farmington despite a strong offensive showing from the Tigers' backcourt.

Cobleskill was led by junior guard Bruce Wilder Jr. (Rochester, NY), who stayed red-hot off the bench with 18 points in just 18 minutes. Wilder shot an efficient 6-of-12 from the floor, buried both of his threes, and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the line. Senior Chrischen Chung (Poughkeepsie, NY) added 14 points and orchestrated the offense with a game-high six assists, going a flawless 6-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from deep. Marquay Tanksley (Cohoes, NY) chipped in eight points, four assists, and two rebounds, while Rowan Morel (Manhattan, NY) added seven points and four boards. Andrew Wright (Berne, NY) battled foul trouble throughout the night but still contributed six points.

Both offenses were locked in, with UMF shooting 56.4 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from beyond the arc. Cobleskill countered with season-high efficiency: 49.1 percent shooting overall and 47.1 percent from deep. The deciding factors came in the paint, where UMF held a 38–20 scoring edge, and on the glass, where the Beavers outrebounded Cobleskill 37–20. The Tigers' bench, sparked by Wilder, produced a strong 38–28 advantage.

Cobleskill opened with early energy, as Wright drew two shooting fouls in the opening minutes and converted three points at the line. Chung knocked down a deep three and a midrange jumper to keep the Tigers close at 11-8, and a Tanksley triple made it 14-11 five minutes in.

Wilder entered and immediately shifted the momentum, drilling back-to-back threes to pull the Tigers within one at 22-21. UMF responded with a run of its own, stretching the lead to 33-24 before a Ryan Nadje layup, assisted by Tanksley, trimmed it to 35-28.

A Cobleskill 6-0 surge - sparked by a Wilder jumper and a Cameron Rhode finish - cut the deficit to 44-39 in the closing minutes, but the Beavers closed the half strong and took a 49-41 lead into the locker room. Wilder paced Cobleskill at the break with 10 points, while Tanksley added eight and Chung contributed seven.

UMF pushed its lead to double digits early, but Cobleskill countered with a 7-2 run featuring a Chung pull-up and a Conor Holland (Marathon, NY) three, pulling within 55-50.
The Tigers continued to chip away, and a Wilder jumper made it 67-61 midway through the half. But costly turnovers stalled Cobleskill's comeback bid, as UMF cashed in with transition buckets and back-to-back threes to take a 76-62 advantage with 8:25 remaining.

Chung provided a spark with a deep three off a Tanksley assist, cutting it to 78-69 with 6:30 left. Moments later, Morel jumped a passing lane for a steal and drilled a transition three to make it 79-72 - Cobleskill's closest margin down the stretch.UMF answered with another burst following a Cobleskill turnover, rebuilding a double-digit lead and closing out the game at the free-throw line for the 92-75 win.

Up Next:
The Tigers continue their Maine road swing on Saturday, taking on Maine Maritime Academy at 1:00 p.m. in another NAC matchup.