UTICA, N.Y. – For the second consecutive season, the SUNY Poly women's basketball team has won the North Atlantic Conference West Division Championship. The Wildcats faced off with SUNY Cobleskill on Saturday afternoon for the title of West Champion and the opportunity to play for a NAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA DIII National Championship Tournament. A dominant first half was ultimately the determining factor in the game. Poly held the lead for the entirety of the game. The Wildcats won the game 51-45 to claim the West and advance to the NAC Championship.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead thanks to a hot start by Kierra Connor and Lyrik Jackson. Each scored four points in a first quarter that saw the Wildcats build an 11-point lead. The SUNY Poly defense held Cobleskill to just six points and a 23.1 shooting percentage with four turnovers. Connor blocked two shots and had three rebounds in the quarter.

Lyrik Jackson was outstanding in the second quarter for the Wildcats. She shot 75% from the floor and was perfect from the charity stripe. The senior scored eight points in the quarter, helping her team grow their lead to 17 points.

The Wildcats started the second half with a 6-0 run to grow their lead to 23 points. Molly Burdick was dominant on the glass in the third. She recorded seven of her game-high 18 rebounds in the quarter scored four points, had a block, and had a steal.

In the fourth, the Wildcats faced a feverous late push from Cobleskill. Trailing by 16, the Fighting Tigers clawed their way right back into the game. The turning point of the quarter for the Fighting Tigers was right around the five-minute mark. Talia Washington drew a huge offensive foul call on Lyrik Jackson. It was Jackson's fifth foul, sending her to the bench for the remainder of the game. With Jackson on the bench, the Tigers began to find a way to eat into the 20-point deficit that they faced. From the five-minute mark to the two-minute mark, Cobleskill went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead in half. Audrianna Hollister scored eight of her team's 10 points in the run. The late push from Cobleskill, while exciting and impressive, came too late in the game for them to overcome the big deficit. The Wildcats sealed up the six-point win on the free-throw line.  

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Lyrik Jackson had a game-high 18 points for the Wildcats. She also had four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
• Molly Burdick had a 14-point, 18-rebound double-double with a pair of steals, a pair of blocks, and three assists.
• Kierra Connor scored six points for the Wildcats. She also had eight rebounds and a game-high five blocks.
• Audriana Hollister scored a team-high 11 points for the Fighting Tigers. She also had a team-high two blocks, three rebounds, and a steal. Hollister shot 9-14 at the free-throw line.
• Talia Washington scored 10 points and hit a game-high two 3-pointers for Cobleskill. She also had three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

UP NEXT:

The Wildcat's win in the NAC West Championship sends them to the NAC Championship Game on Saturday, February 25th. The game will be held at Maine Maritime in Castine Maine. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 tip-off. The winner of the NAC Championship will receive the NAC's AQ bid to the NCAA DIII Championship Tournament.

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SUNY Poly is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, game design, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.