Cobleskill, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team battled wire-to-wire but couldn't overcome VTSU-Johnson, falling 74-67 on Friday night in Iorio Gymnasium.

Marquay Tanksley led the Tigers' attack with 18 points, three steals, and two rebounds, while second-year guard Elijah Morris (Mount Vernon, NY) added 12 points, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals. Tristian George (Mount Vernon, NY) provided a big spark off the bench, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. Senior Chalik Rush (Brooklyn, NY/Graphic Arts) anchored the interior with a team-high 10 rebounds, seven points, three steals, two assists, and a block.

Cobleskill showed plenty of fight, but Johnson's efficiency proved to be the difference. The Badgers shot 45.8 percent from the field, while Cobleskill struggled at 32.3 percent, despite finding more success from deep with eight made threes at a 30.8 percent clip. Johnson, however, dominated the free-throw line almost doubling the Tigers attempts, making 29-of-47 attempts, while Cobleskill hit 17-of-25 (68.0%). The rebounding battle was tight, with Johnson holding a slim 43-39 edge, though Cobleskill's 15 offensive boards translated into a 14-11 advantage in second-chance points. The Tigers' bench provided a boost, outscoring Johnson's reserves 19-13, but the Badgers controlled the paint, outscoring Cobleskill 36-16 and converting 21 Cobleskill turnovers into 16 points.

Tanksley got the scoring started with a layup, assisted by Rush, and a jumper from Morris gave the Tigers an early 4-2 lead. The teams traded buckets in the opening minutes, staying knotted at 8-8 before Cobleskill strung together a 6-0 run, capped by a George jumper, to go up 14-8. Devin Dennard (Elmira, NY) then buried a three off an Andrew Wright (Berne, NY/BKW) assist, pushing Cobleskill's lead to 21-11, their largest of the night. The Badgers responded with a 9-0 surge, but Tanksley answered back with consecutive threes to put the Tigers up 30-26. Jermaine Wheeler (Manhattan, NY/Marist) added a late free throw, sending Cobleskill into the break with a 33-30 advantage.

Johnson came out of halftime firing, seizing momentum with a 13-2 run to take control at 43-35. Johnson continued to press the advantage and found themselves with a 49-39 lead over the Tigers.  Rush tried to stem the tide, scoring four straight points to cut the deficit to 56-54 with seven minutes remaining. Tanksley kept the Tigers within striking distance, drilling his third three-pointer of the night to make it 61-59 with four minutes left. However, foul trouble plagued Cobleskill down the stretch, and Johnson capitalized, marching to the line for a staggering 47 free throw attempts.

With under two minutes to play, Tanksley found George wide open in the corner, and the sophomore buried a clutch three to pull Cobleskill within two, 67-65. But just as the Tigers looked poised to pounce, Johnson kept their composure at the charity stripe, knocking down their free throws in the final moments to secure the 74-67 win.

The Fighting Tigers return to action on Saturday, February 15, for Senior Day, as they host VTSU-Lyndon at 3:00 p.m. in the Iorio Gymnasium.