Castine, ME – The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team made a strong second-half push but couldn't overcome an early deficit on Saturday afternoon, falling 71-60 to Maine Maritime Academy in North Atlantic Conference play.

Cameron Rhode (Elmira, NY) turned in his best outing of the season, posting 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a block while hitting five of ten from the field and two of three from deep. Rowan Morel (Manhattan, NY) added eight points, five rebounds, two blocks, and an assist, while Spencer Daby (Au Sable Forks, NY) gave the Tigers a lift off the bench with seven points.

Bruce Wilder Jr. (Rochester, NY) and La'Anthony Fairley (Canajoharie, NY) chipped in six points each, with Fairley pulling down seven boards and Wilder Jr. adding six rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

Cobleskill shot 31.5 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three, while Maine Maritime stayed efficient throughout at 51.9 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from deep. The Tigers controlled the glass with a 44-35 advantage, including a dominant 19-3 margin on the offensive boards. Cobleskill's bench also outscored MMA 34-6, and the Tigers held a 17-11 edge in fast-break points.

Maine Maritime opened the game with a quick 5-0 burst and later stretched the margin to 12-2 before a Morel fadeaway finally put Cobleskill on the board. The Mariners continued to roll, building a 28-10 lead as the Tigers struggled to find rhythm. A late three from Daby helped trim the deficit, but Cobleskill entered halftime trailing 39-20.

Daby led the Tigers at the break with seven points, while Rhode added six.

Cobleskill showed life to start the second half, scoring five straight on a Conor Holland three and a Chung layup, but MMA answered and pushed its lead to 55–27 with just over 13 minutes left. Down 61-38 with 8:34 remaining, the Tigers flipped the momentum and put together their best stretch of the afternoon, ripping off a 13-0 run fueled by pressure defense and transition buckets. The surge included a Wilder Jr. fast-break dunk and two strong finishes at the rim from Andrew Wright (Berne, NY). Cobleskill held MMA scoreless for four minutes during the stretch and cut the deficit to 61–51 with 4:53 remaining.

The Tigers' rally forced the Mariners to settle back in, and MMA responded by rebuilding its lead to 71-53 inside the final minute. Cobleskill added a few late buckets, but the early hole proved too much to overcome as Maine Maritime held on for the 71-60 win.

Up Next
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Tuesday, November 25, traveling to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.