Cobleskill, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team wrapped up their 2024-25 season on senior day, falling 73-59 to VTSU-Lyndon in Iorio Gymnasium on Saturday evening.
On a night dedicated to honoring their seniors,
Jermaine Wheeler (Manhattan, NY/Marist) delivered a strong performance, notching a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, along with three assists. Wheeler shot 4-of-8 from the field and provided key plays down the stretch. Second-year guard
Elijah Morris (Mount Vernon, NY) added 13 points, four steals, three assists, and two rebounds, while first-year
Marquay Tanksley (Cohoes, NY) chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
Rowan Morel (Manhattan, NY/Vanguard) gave the Tigers a boost off the bench with seven points, two rebounds, and two steals.
SUNY Cobleskill had a tough shooting night, hitting just 30.4 percent from the field while VTSU-Lyndon knocked down 39.1 percent of their looks. From deep, Cobleskill couldn't find the range, going 1-14 (7.1%), while Lyndon was dialed in at 40 percent (10-25). At the stripe, Lyndon cashed in at 86.7 percent, outpacing Cobleskill's 69.6 percent. The battle on the boards went to Lyndon, who crashed the glass for a 53-41 edge. Cobleskill took better care of the ball with just 12 turnovers to Lyndon's 20, but both squads turned giveaways into nearly identical points. Cobleskill did work in the paint with 34 points to Lyndon's 28 and got solid production from the bench (17 points), but Lyndon's second-chance buckets (14-7) and ball movement (15 assists) helped them control the tempo on their way to a 73-59 victory.
The Hornets came out firing, jumping to a 12-6 lead in the opening five minutes. Morris kept Cobleskill within striking distance, draining a three-pointer off a feed from Morel at the 11:57 mark. Morel then knocked down a jumper to pull the Tigers within three at 21-18, but Lyndon countered with an 8-0 run to push their lead to double digits at 29-18 with 6:30 left in the half. Cobleskill clawed their way back before the break, closing on a 5-0 run to make it a six-point game at 37-31.
Carrying that momentum into the second half, the Fighting Tigers chipped away, eventually cutting the deficit to just two points at 42-40 after a pair of Wheeler free throws. However, the Hornets responded once again, stringing together a 7-1 run to regain control. Senior
Chalik Rush (Brooklyn, NY/Graphic Arts) knocked down a shot off a Wheeler assist to cut the lead to 58-53 with 5:33 remaining. Moments later, Wheeler grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a putback, making it a one-possession game with under five minutes to play.
In the final stretch, neither team gave an inch until Lyndon's Tyler Cooper delivered the dagger, draining back-to-back three-pointers in the span of a minute to put the Hornets ahead 66-59 with just over a minute to play. Despite their relentless effort, Cobleskill couldn't close the gap, as Lyndon iced the game from the free-throw line and secured the 73-59 victory.
With this result, the Fighting Tigers conclude their season, showing heart and resilience in their final outing of the year.
