Selinsgrove, PA – The SUNY Cobleskill women's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season with a strong defensive effort on Saturday night, pushing preseason nationally ranked No. 12 Christopher Newport before falling 60-50 in the opening game of the Susquehanna Tip-Off Tournament.
Newcomer Megan Schuermann (Cooperstown, NY) led the Fighting Tigers in her Cobleskill debut, finishing with a team-high 16 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists while going 10-for-14 from the free-throw line.
Hannah Vanderzee (Ravena, NY) added 13 points, five rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist while connecting on 7-of-8 attempts at the stripe.
Kieonna Christmas (Fultonville, NY) filled the stat sheet with seven points, a team-high 10 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists.
Jaiyla Colon (Worcester, MA) added six points, while senior
Kyra Pence (Randolph, NY) provided five points off the bench.
The season opener turned into a defensive battle, with both teams making scoring difficult throughout the night. Cobleskill shot 24.5 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from three while finishing at 68.8 percent from the free-throw line. Christopher Newport shot 35.3 percent overall, 18.8 percent from beyond the arc and 64.3 percent at the stripe. The Captains held a 54-36 advantage on the glass and a 36-12 edge in points in the paint, but Cobleskill's pressure defense kept the Tigers within striking distance. The Fighting Tigers forced 33 turnovers and converted them into 23 points while also producing 21 fast-break points. Cobleskill finished with a 20-16 advantage in steals.
Christmas got the season started with a three-pointer on Cobleskill's opening possession. Christopher Newport answered with eight straight points before Christmas stopped the run with a jumper to pull the Tigers within 8-5 midway through the opening quarter. The Captains later stretched the advantage to 16-5, but a Vanderzee layup helped Cobleskill settle back in. A Schuermann free throw in the closing seconds made it an 18-9 game heading into the second quarter.
Vanderzee opened the second with a basket before Christopher Newport pushed its advantage to 22-12. Cobleskill responded with four straight points to stay within reach, but the Captains eventually built a 30-19 lead with three minutes remaining in the half. From there, the Tigers found another gear defensively and closed the half with momentum. Vanderzee knocked down a jumper, and after strong ball movement,
Sydney Delisle (Mechanicville, NY) buried an open three to make it a two-possession game at 30-24 with 1:18 remaining. Pence then came up with a steal in the closing seconds and went coast-to-coast for a layup just before the horn, sending Cobleskill into halftime trailing only 32-26.
The Tigers continued to apply pressure in the third quarter, with Schuermann taking over offensively. She scored Cobleskill's first four points of the half to cut the deficit to one possession at 32-30 with 6:38 remaining. A Christmas layup off a Schuermann assist kept the Tigers close at 36-32 before Schuermann knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 38-36. Christopher Newport answered late in the quarter with an 8-4 run to carry a 46-40 advantage into the fourth.
The defensive battle continued into the final period as the Captains stretched the lead to 50-40. Cobleskill refused to go away, and back-to-back Colon layups pulled the Tigers within six at 51-45 with 6:03 remaining. Christopher Newport responded with a 7-0 run over the next three minutes to regain control. Pence later knocked down two free throws to keep Cobleskill within reach, but the Captains held on down the stretch for the 60-50 victory.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers return to the court on Sunday, November 8, when they face St. John Fisher at 1 p.m. in their final game of the Susquehanna Tip-Off Tournament.
