Cambridge, MA: The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team got back in the win column on Saturday evening, grinding out a 68-58 road victory over Lesley University in North Atlantic Conference divisional play.

Marquay Tanksley (Cohoes, NY) had a career night, pouring in 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed five rebounds, blocked a shot, and snagged a steal. Chrischen Chung (Poughkeepsie, NY/LaSalle) provided a huge spark off the bench, tallying 18 points while knocking down four three-pointers. Chung scored 15 points of his points in the second half. Elijah Morris (Mount Vernon, NY) stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and a steal, while Jermaine Wheeler (Manhattan, NY/Marist) dominated the glass with a game-high 11 rebounds.

Cobleskill shot 35.9 percent from the field but made up for it with sharp shooting from beyond the arc, hitting 43.5 percent of their threes. Meanwhile, Lesley struggled offensively, connecting on just 31.7 percent of their shots and 20.8 percent from deep. The Fighting Tigers controlled the glass, outrebounding Lesley 51-41, which led to an 11-9 edge in second-chance points. Despite committing 13 turnovers to Lesley's 10, Cobleskill capitalized better, converting those mistakes into nine points compared to Lesley's four. The bench made a significant impact as well, outscoring Lesley's reserves 22-10.

Cobleskill came out red-hot, with back-to-back three-pointers from Tanksley and Chalik Rush (Brooklyn, NY/Graphic Arts) to jump out to an 8-0 lead. Morris kept the momentum rolling with a deep triple of his own, stretching the advantage to 15-6. But Lesley punched back with an 11-0 surge, to take a 17-15 lead.Tanksley answered with his second three of the half, reclaiming the lead for Cobleskill at 23-22 with six minutes to play. A pair of free throws from Greene and a smooth floater from Tanksley extended the Tigers' cushion to 31-27. Just before the break, Rowan Morel (Manhattan, NY/Vanguard) came up with a highlight-reel block, denying the Lynx a chance to cut into the deficit. Cobleskill carried that defensive momentum into the locker room, leading 33-27 at halftime.

Morris opened the second half with consecutive three-pointers, pushing the lead to nine. Tanksley's strong take to the rim extended the cushion to 45-33, and Chung kept the Tigers rolling, drilling back-to-back threes to make it 51-35. Chung continued to torch the Lynx from deep, sinking his third triple of the half as Cobleskill stretched the lead to 59-42.

Lesley made one final push, trimming the deficit to 61-54 with two minutes remaining. But the Tigers' defense stepped up, forcing a crucial turnover with 22 seconds left. Tanksley sealed the win at the free-throw line, and a clutch offensive rebound by Chalik Rush helped Cobleskill close it out.

The Fighting Tigers return to action next Friday, February 14, when they host Vermont State Johnson at 7:30 p.m. in another NAC divisional showdown.