COBLESKILL, N.Y. – For the first time since the 2009-10 season, the SUNYIT Men's Basketball Team (1-0, 1-0 NEAC) started off their season with a win. It was the best kind too, as the Wildcats earned a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) win over their host, the SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers.

Always a tough place to play, the Wildcats showed poise throughout the second half, as the Fighting Tigers threatened the lead several times. A pair of free throws from Cortell King cut the Wildcat lead to 62-60 with under 10 seconds to go, but sophomore Kaleel Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y. / Syr. Acad. of Science) turned around and made 1 of 2 from the line to give SUNYIT some breathing room. With just 5 seconds left to play, however, the Fighting Tigers missed their desperation attempt, giving SUNYIT an always-precious conference win.

While neither team shot particularly well from the field (each team hit home on just over 36% of their attempts), SUNYIT was aided by a balanced attack, as five players scored 8 or more points for the Wildcats. Of that group, three players scored in double-figures, with senior Ryan James (Saratoga Springs, N.Y. / Saratoga Springs) leading the way with 14 points.

James played all 40 minutes, and while the senior guard didn't have his best shooting day, he made up for it by getting to the free throw line where he made 7 of his 10 attempts. He also tied for the SUNYIT lead in rebounds with 9, and added 3 assists and 2 steals.

Right behind James was junior guard Alexander Drake (West Sand Lake, N.Y. / Lansingburgh), who shot a respectable 5 of 11 from the field on his way to a 13 point day.

Contributing big minutes off the bench for SUNYIT was freshman Thomas Lucas (Buffalo, N.Y. / Tapestry). Lucas made all four of his field goal attempts, good for 8 points in just 17 minutes of play.

The Wildcats' next scheduled game, a Wednesday matchup at Wells College, has been postponed due to inclement weather. With no makeup date yet confirmed, SUNYIT's next game will be their home opener on Sunday, December 1^st. The Wildcats are slated to take on local rival Utica College in a 2:00 pm pairing.

On behalf of SUNYIT Athletics, we wish all IT fans a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!