PRESQUE ISLE, ME
The UMPI Women's team got back to action on Monday night when they hosted SUNY Cobleskill for a NAC matchup. The defending NAC Champions showed why they went 24-5 en route to the NCAA tournament last season as their longevity won-out against the young Owls.
How it Happened:
Through the first three minutes of the game, UMPI looked like a different team offensively than they had that whole first semester. Their confident cuts and passes helped them jump out to a 9-4 lead, prompting a timeout from Cobleskill as the Owls came out with a spark that the Tigers may not have expected. UMPI fought hard to preserve their lead, though it would ultimately be overtaken at the 3:30 mark of the first quarter when SUNY went ahead 13-11. The Owls didn't roll over however, as they kept things close for much of the rest of the first half with stellar defense though their offense stalled a bit with Cobleskill changing things up and making it difficult. At halftime, the Fighting Tigers led by 13 points as they closed out the second quarter very strong.
Starting the second it was Cobleskill who then looked like a different team, as they started to pick apart that UMPI defense that kept them in it in the first half. The Tigers won the frame 22-9, to take a stranglehold going into the final frame. Once there, UMPI's fatigue was apparent as their shorter bench came back to haunt them down the stretch. Cobleskill won the last quarter 18-9 and put a bow on the game with a 72-37 victory, though the score did not reflect UMPI's efforts in the first half against a very good basketball team.
Top Performers:
The Owls were led by their stat leader Aleyah Matheson who had 11 points, as she put together another double digit performance. Nevaeh Bello supported her efforts with a nine-point game throughout 19 minutes played. Lindsay Hamilton had five points and nine rebounds while Karen Marshall led the team on the glass with 10 boards.
Next Up:
The Owls will get right back to it and host SUNY Delhi with a chance to get ahead of the Broncos in the NAC standings on the line. The game will tip-off at 3p.m. today (Tuesday, January 6th).
