Cobleskill, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill women's basketball team went down to the final minute Wednesday night, but late free throws lifted Western Connecticut State to a 64-61 win in a tightly contested non-conference matchup at the Stephen Feldman Arena.

Mady Victorin (Menands, NY) and Kyara Triblet (Colonie, NY) paced the Tigers with 12 points apiece. Victorin added six rebounds, while Triblet pulled down five boards and shot an efficient 5-of-7 from the field. Zaylee Ramos (Worcester, MA) filled the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Kate Hadwen (Fair Haven, VT) provided a spark off the bench with nine points, four rebounds and an assist while knocking down two triples. Jaiyla Colon (Worcester, MA) added nine points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals, while Alyssa Martin (Castleton, NY) chipped in five points off the bench.

Cobleskill shot 39.4 percent from the field compared to 37.7 percent for WestConn. The Wolves held a rebounding edge, 45-36, but the Tigers controlled the paint, outscoring the hosts 34-30 inside. Cobleskill's defensive pressure forced 19 turnovers, which the Tigers converted into 23 points, while WestConn finished with 12 points off turnovers. Both teams scored 13 fastbreak points, and Cobleskill's bench played a major role, outscoring the Wolves 30-6.

Victorin opened the scoring for Cobleskill with a midrange jumper, and her early buckets helped keep the Tigers within striking distance in the first quarter. A long jumper from Sydney Delisle (Mechanicville, NY) and four straight points from Triblet cut the deficit to one late in the period before WestConn closed the quarter with a narrow 19-15 lead.

The Tigers opened the second quarter with an and-one from Colon and continued to trade baskets. Victorin scored inside to keep it close, and a pair of free throws brought Cobleskill within one midway through the period. A driving layup from Hadwen and a late finish by Ramos kept the Tigers close, sending the teams into halftime with WestConn holding a slim 33-30 advantage.

WestConn opened the third quarter with a run to create separation, but Cobleskill answered with an 8-0 spurt of its own, highlighted by five points from Triblet and a Hadwen three, as the Tigers held the Wolves scoreless for over four minutes. Late turnovers allowed WestConn to rebuild its cushion, but a buzzer-beating layup from Hannah Bonczkowski (Gilbertsville, NY) cut the deficit to 50-44 heading into the fourth.

Cobleskill continued to chip away in the final quarter. Victorin and Ramos scored inside early, and baskets from Martin and Triblet brought the Tigers within one possession midway through the period. With under two minutes to play, Hadwen knocked down a free throw to make it a one-point game before Colon buried a pull-up jumper to give Cobleskill its first lead of the night, 61-60, with less than a minute remaining. WestConn responded at the free-throw line in the closing seconds, however, to seal the 64-61 win.

Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to action on Saturday, January 24, traveling to SUNY Delhi for a North Atlantic Conference matchup scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. tip-off.