Cobleskill, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's basketball team turned in its most dominant defensive showing of the season on Saturday afternoon, holding VTSU-Johnson to single-digit scoring in the entire first half on the way to a decisive 72–31 North Atlantic Conference win inside the Iorio Gymnasium.

Sophomore Sydney Delisle (Mechanicville, NY) paced the Tigers with 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal, knocking down four of nine from the field and three triples. Jaiyla Colon (Worcester, MA) continued her strong weekend with nine points, eight boards, four steals and two assists. Emilie Eritano (Madison Heights, MI) provided a huge lift off the bench, pouring in a career-high nine points on three made threes in just nine minutes. Hannah Bonczkowski (Gilbertsville, NY) added seven points and six rebounds, while center Mady Victorin (Menands, NY) chipped in eight points and four boards.

Cobleskill's defense set the tone from the opening tip, limiting Johnson to 27.5 percent shooting, forcing 32 turnovers, and holding the Badgers scoreless from deep (0–9). The Tigers converted those turnovers into 35 points on the other end and allowed just four second-chance points. Offensively, Cobleskill shot 33.3 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three and 75 percent at the line. The Tigers owned the interior as well, winning the rebounding battle 48–39 and outscoring Johnson 24–18 in the paint. Cobleskill's bench provided a major spark, outscoring the Badgers 37–4.

Cobleskill came out locked in defensively, holding Johnson to just four points in the opening quarter on 22.2 percent shooting. After Johnson scored the game's first basket, the Tigers answered with a 9–0 run that featured back-to-back threes from Delisle off clean feeds from Colon. A second 9–0 burst, capped by an Isabella Santana (Walden, NY) triple assisted by Alyssa Martin (Castleton, NY), sent Cobleskill into the break with a commanding 18–4 lead.

Captain Kyra Pence (Randolph, NY) opened the second quarter with five straight points to spark a 10–0 run as the Tigers stretched the margin to 28–4. Eritano buried a three off a kick-out from Kate Hadwen (Fair Haven, VT) to make it 31–6, and a Santana layup pushed the lead to 35–7. Victorin grabbed an offensive rebound and finished through contact just before halftime, giving Cobleskill a 37–9 cushion. The Tigers forced 12 turnovers in the second quarter alone as their defensive pressure continued to fuel transition opportunities.

Cobleskill wasted no time extending the margin in the third, opening with baskets from Zaylee Ramos (Worcester, MA) and Colon to go up 46–13. Bonczkowski closed the frame with a layup and a three, sending the Tigers into the fourth holding a 52–13 advantage after limiting Johnson to only four third-quarter points on 18.2 percent shooting.

The Tigers stayed in control the rest of the way, pushing the lead past 40 behind another Eritano three, assisted by Delisle, to make it 63–23. Hadwen added five straight points in the final minutes for Cobleskill's largest lead of the game, 70–27, before closing out the 72–31 win and remaining perfect at home.

Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Wednesday, December 10, when they travel to VTSU-Castleton for a non-conference matchup at 6:00 p.m. in Castleton, Vermont.