Cobleskill, NY – The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team flipped the script after halftime, pouring in 63 second-half points to pull away from VTSU-Johnson for a 97-86 North Atlantic Conference road win on Friday night.

Cameron Rhode (Elmira, NY) stuffed the stat sheet with his first double-double of the season, leading all scorers with 23 points while grabbing 12 rebounds and adding five steals, four assists and two blocks. He went 7-of-12 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line. MJ Ford (Staten Island, NY) provided instant offense off the bench with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while Marquay Tanksley (Cohoes, NY) added 15 points on an efficient 6-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Conor Holland (Marathon, NY) chipped in 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Bruce Wilder Jr. (Rochester, NY) scored nine off the bench and Zander Poissant (East Greenbush, NY) added eight points, seven rebounds and four steals
.
Both teams shot nearly identical percentages from the floor with Cobleskill shooting 48.6 percent and Johnson with 48.3 percent, but Cobleskill controlled the glass 41-36 and dominated the paint, outscoring the Badgers 50-32 inside. The Tigers' depth proved decisive as the bench poured in 39 points compared to just nine from Johnson's reserves.

Cobleskill came out sharp, taking an early 6-2 lead on a Tanksley tip-in and a Ford three. The Badgers answered with a 10-2 run to move in front, but the Tigers kept it tight. Back-to-back and-one finishes from Holland and Ford swung momentum back Cobleskill's way late in the half, and a Holland drive gave the Tigers a brief lead before Johnson closed the half on top 40-34.

The Tigers wasted no time after the break. A Daniel Penubothula fastbreak finish and Holland putback kept the game within one possession before Rhode took over. A trip to the line followed by a transition layup put Cobleskill back in front, igniting a decisive surge.

Cobleskill then erupted on a 17-0 run, blitzing the Badgers in transition and on the offensive glass to turn a tight contest into a double-digit lead. Wilder buried a three during the stretch and Ford converted an and-one as the Tigers seized full control at 63-53.

With the offense humming, Rhode and Ford continued to attack downhill. A Ford jumper pushed the margin to 20 at 84-64 with under six minutes to play. Johnson made a late push, but Cobleskill answered each time at the free-throw line and finished strong to seal the 97-86 victory.

The win tied the Tigers' season high for total points in a game and pushed their NAC record to 8-5.

Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers wrap up their Vermont road trip on Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. NAC matchup at VTSU-Lyndon.