Cobleskill, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team rode a dominant second half to secure their first North Atlantic Conference win of the season, taking down VTSU-Johnson 84-73 on Saturday afternoon in the Iorio Gymnasium.

Rowan Morel (Manhattan, NY) put together the best outing of his young career, dropping 22 points to go with 10 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks for his first double-double of his career. The sophomore guard set the tone early in the second half and never cooled off. Marquay Tanksley (Cohoes, NY) delivered another all-around effort with 14 points, eight boards, five steals, and four assists, giving Cobleskill a spark on both ends. Cameron Rhode and Bruce Wilder Jr. (Rochester, NY) added 10 points each, with Wilder dishing out five assists, grabbing three rebounds, and collecting two steals. Off the bench, Fermin Fabian (Schenectady, NY) brought energy and production with six points and nine rebounds, while senior guard Chrischen Chung (Poughkeepsie, NY) chipped in eight points, five rebounds, five assists, and a block.

Cobleskill put together one of their most efficient offensive outings of the season, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor, 40 percent from three, and 71.4 percent at the line. Johnson shot 45.2 percent overall and 41.2 percent from deep, but the Tigers owned the interior, overpowering the Badgers 50-23 on the glass and holding a 10-1 edge in second-chance points. Cobleskill's ball movement was sharp as well, racking up 21 assists while the bench contributed a 23-15 scoring advantage.

Johnson opened the day on a roll, jumping out to a 19-9 lead through the first five minutes. Rhode steadied the Tigers with back-to-back buckets before Cobleskill turned the tide with an 18-4 run fueled by Tanksley's eight points, including a pair of threes. A deep jumper from Adrian Beato gave Cobleskill a 34-32 lead, and Morel capped the half with a fastbreak finish to take a 39-37 advantage into the locker room.

Cobleskill wasted no time after the break, as Morel scored the Tigers' first five points to set the tone. Wilder Jr. pushed the pace and assisted Tanksley on a corner three to extend the lead to 53-45. Moments later, Wilder buried a three of his own to stretch the margin to double digits at 58-48. The Tigers kept rolling as Wilder hit back-to-back jumpers before Morel drilled consecutive threes to put Cobleskill firmly in control, 73-56. Johnson made a late push, but Chung knocked down two clutch free throws to seal the win as the Tigers closed out the 84-73 victory.

Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Tuesday, December 9, when they travel to VTSU-Castleton for a non-conference matchup at 6:00 p.m.