SUNY Cobleskill Battles in NAC Semifinals, Falls 60-44 at Maine Maritime

CASTINE, MAINE — In a tightly contested semifinal matchup, the Fighting Tigers women’s basketball team battled throughout but dropped a 60-44 decision to top-seeded Maine Maritime Academy on Sunday afternoon in the Smith Gymnasium, wrapping up their 2025-26 season.

The sophomore duo of Kyara Triblet (Colonie, NY) and Jaiyla Colon (Worcester, MA) paced Cobleskill offensively. Colon finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist, attacking off the dribble and competing on both ends of the floor. Triblet added 13 points along with two blocks and a steal, battling through contact inside and stepping up in key stretches.

Hannah Bonczkowski (Gilbertsville, NY) and Kate Hadwen (Fair Haven, VT) each contributed five points, while Kyra Pence (Randolph, NY) and Sydney Delisle (Mechanicville, NY) chipped in four apiece. Kayleigh Bryant (Schenevus, NY) anchored the glass with a team-high six rebounds.

Cobleskill shot 25.8 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and 61.5 percent from the line, while the Mariners converted at a 40.7 percent clip overall and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc - a difference that proved decisive. Maine Maritime also controlled the boards, 50-31, leading to a 20-14 edge in points in the paint and a 9-5 advantage in second-chance opportunities. The Tigers’ defense once again set the tone. Cobleskill forced 22 turnovers, recorded seven steals and six blocks, and made every half-court possession difficult.

Triblet opened the scoring at the stripe, but the Mariners built an early 8-1 edge midway through the first quarter. Colon knocked down a three to spark a response, and a strong Delisle drive capped a quick 5-0 burst to cut the deficit to 8-6. Maine answered with back-to-back triples to regain control and took a 14-8 lead after one.

In the second quarter, Colon buried a pull-up jumper to settle the offense before Triblet caught fire, scoring six straight points - a triple, a layup and a free throw - to bring the Tigers within one possession at 16-17. Bonczkowski drilled a clutch three, and Pence followed with a turnaround jumper to tie the game at 21-21 with under three minutes left in the half. Maine Maritime closed the quarter with a late basket to take a 25-21 lead into the break.

After nearly two minutes of scoreless play to open the third, Triblet converted an and-one to trim the deficit to one. The Mariners responded with back-to-back three-pointers to stretch the lead to 35-26 midway through the period. Delisle knocked down a pair at the line, and Pence added a finish inside to keep Cobleskill within striking distance. A late free throw from Triblet made it 31-39, but a buzzer-beating three gave Maine Maritime a 42-31 advantage heading to the fourth.

Colon opened the final quarter with a pull-up jumper, and Hadwen buried a clutch triple to make it 36-44 with just over seven minutes remaining. Triblet added a turnaround in the paint to cut it to single digits again at 40-47. However, Maine Maritime strung together a 4-0 run to create separation, and despite Colon knocking down another mid-range jumper, the Mariners sealed the game at the free-throw line down the stretch.

The semifinal loss concludes another strong season for the Fighting Tigers, who reached their fourth consecutive NAC Semifinal and finished 15-11 overall, marking their fifth straight winning season.