Waterville, ME – The SUNY Cobleskill women's basketball team leaned on its defense from start to finish, locking down Thomas College in a dominant 49-36 road victory in the North Atlantic Conference Quarterfinals on Friday night. With the win, the Tigers advance to the NAC Semifinals for the fourth straight season.
Kyara Triblet (Colonie, NY) set the tone offensively, finishing with a game-high 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting while adding three rebounds and an assist.
Jaiyla Colon (Worcester, MA) once again proved why she's one of the most impactful two-way players in the league, stuffing the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals while going 4-of-5 from the free throw line.
Kayleigh Bryant (Schenevus, NY) dominated the glass with a game-high 10 rebounds to go with six points, and
Kate Hadwen (Fair Haven, VT) delivered key minutes off the bench with eight points, including a clutch three-pointer in the fourth quarter that helped seal the game.
In a physical, grind-it-out postseason battle, Cobleskill controlled the tempo and made every possession difficult for the Terriers. The Tigers forced 24 turnovers, turned them into 16 points, and held Thomas to just 36 total points - including only four in the fourth quarter.
Neither team found much rhythm offensively in the defensive showdown. Cobleskill shot 30.6 percent from the field and 17.6 percent from three, while Thomas finished at 31.8 percent overall and just 13.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Tigers controlled the boards 40-35, including a decisive 14-4 advantage on the offensive glass, which translated into an 11-2 edge in second-chance points. Cobleskill also took care of the basketball, committing just 12 turnovers while dishing out 14 assists.
The Tigers came out aggressive, using a 9-0 run in the opening three minutes to grab a 9-2 lead. Triblet fueled the early surge with six quick points, and a midrange jumper from
Mady Victorin (Menands, NY) extended the advantage to 14-4 midway through the first quarter. An inbounds execution from
Zaylee Ramos (Worcester, MA) to Victorin capped the opening frame as Cobleskill led 16-6 after one.
Thomas chipped away in the second quarter, cutting the lead to 18-14 midway through the period. Bryant's relentless work on the offensive glass led to a Colon layup to steady the Tigers, but the remainder of the half turned into a defensive slugfest. Both teams struggled to generate clean looks as Cobleskill carried a narrow 20-18 lead into halftime.
The Terriers tied the game at 20-20 early in the third, but Colon answered with a pull-up jumper to regain the lead. Triblet followed with four straight points to push the margin to 26-20. Hadwen later knocked down a triple to make it 29-22, but Thomas responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 29-29 with just over two minutes left in the quarter. Cobleskill settled in, as Ramos and Triblet each connected on key jumpers late to send the Tigers into the fourth quarter with a 35-32 advantage.
The fourth quarter was all Cobleskill.
After Thomas briefly grabbed its first lead of the night at 36-35 on a 4-0 spurt, the Tigers slammed the door. Triblet answered immediately to reclaim the lead, and from that point forward, Cobleskill's defense completely shut down the Terriers. Thomas did not score again for the remainder of the game.
Bryant drilled a momentum-shifting three to extend the lead to 44-36 with four minutes remaining, and Hadwen buried a clutch triple with under a minute left to cap a decisive 12-0 run. The Tigers outscored Thomas 14-4 in the final frame, sealing the 49-36 victory and punching their ticket to the semifinals.
Up Next:
The Fighting Tigers will travel to top-seeded Maine Maritime Academy for a NAC Semifinal matchup on Sunday, February 22, in Castine, Maine.
