Castine, ME – The SUNY Cobleskill men's basketball team delivered in crunch time Thursday night, grinding out a hard-fought 75-71 road victory over Maine Maritime Academy in the North Atlantic Conference Quarterfinals at Smith Gymnasium. In a game that felt like March basketball, the Tigers made the plays down the stretch to punch their ticket to the NAC Semifinals.
Emilio Nabli (Brooklyn, NY) led the charge with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a game-high five steals. Nabli shot 6-of-14 from the field and came up with multiple momentum-swinging plays on both ends of the floor.
Cobleskill placed four players in double figures.
Chrischen Chung (Poughkeepsie, NY) added 13 points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, along with four assists and three rebounds.
Marquay Tanksley (Cohoes, NY) turned in a strong all-around performance with 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists while going a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line.
Cameron Rhode (Elmira, NY) chipped in 11 points and four rebounds, while
Andrew Wright (Berne, NY) controlled the glass with eight rebounds to go with six points.
MJ Ford (Staten Island, NY) provided a spark off the bench with eight points.
The contest featured 11 lead changes and 11 ties, showcasing the intensity of a true postseason battle. Cobleskill shot 40.6 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range, while Maine Maritime finished at 46 percent overall and 27.3 percent from deep. The Tigers held a slight 40-39 rebounding edge, which translated into a 13-10 advantage in second-chance points. Cobleskill moved the ball effectively, recording 16 assists, while committing just 10 turnovers and forcing 13 from the Mariners.
Cobleskill jumped out to an early 11-4 lead behind Chung's hot shooting, including his second triple of the night. The Tigers maintained a 13-6 edge after a Wright putback, but Maine Maritime chipped away and eventually grabbed momentum with an 8-0 run to take a 28-22 lead. Rhode stopped the run with a key three-pointer, and the Tigers battled back as a layup from Rhode and a triple from Nabli tied the game at 32-32.
The back-and-forth continued late in the half. Tanksley powered through contact for an and-one to tie the game at 39-39 with 30 seconds remaining. Moments later, a Ford steal led to a fastbreak layup at the buzzer, giving Cobleskill a 41-39 halftime lead.
Nabli opened the second half aggressively, scoring four straight points to push the Tigers' advantage to 45-39. Maine Maritime answered and briefly took a one-point lead midway through the half, but Cobleskill continued to respond. Layups from Tanksley and Rhode kept the Tigers ahead 59-57 with under nine minutes to play.
With just over three minutes remaining, Chung buried a clutch three-pointer to give Cobleskill a 68-66 lead after Maine had briefly pulled ahead. The Mariners tied the game at 68-68, but Nabli delivered in isolation, knocking down a tough turnaround fadeaway with 1:29 left to regain the lead.
Tanksley calmly sank two free throws with 17 seconds remaining to extend the lead to 72-68. Maine answered with a quick three to make it a one-point game, but Cobleskill's defense stood tall on the final possession. The Tigers forced a contested look at the rim, Chung secured the rebound, and stepped to the line to ice the game and seal the 75-71 victory.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers will travel to top-seeded UMaine-Farmington on Sunday, February 22, for a NAC Semifinal showdown.
