Hamilton College's Sam Graber '16 dropped in 19 points and the Continentals posted a 62-47 non-conference win against the SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House on Monday night.
Box Score
The Continentals (7-13 overall) were credited with 16 steals, which helped contribute to 26 Cobleskill turnovers. Hamilton scored 30 points off those turnovers in the first meeting between these two programs.
Graber is second in the NESCAC in scoring with 17.1 points per game. She has scored 1,315 points in her career for the Continentals and is just the fifth player in program history to get to 1,300.
Carly Gruenberg '16 chipped in 14 points and four steals for Hamilton. Lauren Getman '18 scored 11 points, Caroline Barrett '17 handed out seven assists and Rylie Mainville '18 blocked five shots in 16 minutes off the bench.
Shiann Coons paced the Fighting Tigers (6-10) with 19 points. Coons scored 14 points in the final 20 minutes and finished the night with five 3-pointers. Morgan Bullis added nine points and Shelby Preston grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Cobleskill scored 12 points in the paint in the first quarter when the Fighting Tigers enjoyed their largest lead of the night of five points at 12-7 and 14-9. The Continentals scored the last two points of the first quarter and the first seven points of the second quarter. Graber kicked off the run with a layup that pulled Hamilton within 14-11 at the end of the first. Getman opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and layups by Gruenberg and Graber made it 18-14 with 8:23 left in the second.
The Continentals maintained their slim lead until Coons nailed her first 3-pointer and put Cobleskill back in front at 21-20 with 4:55 remaining. Kate Bushell '17 gave the lead back to Hamilton with two free throws a minute later but a layup by Bullis provided the Fighting Tigers with their last lead of the night at 23-22 with 3:45 to go.
The Continentals ended the second quarter with a 12-2 spurt and led the rest of the way. Bushell started the run with a jumper and Graber and Kendall Rallins '19 followed with baskets in the paint. Bushell sank another mid-range jumper before Bullis pulled Cobleskill back to 30-25 with two free throws. Gruenberg made a jumper and Getman beat the buzzer with a basket from the baseline after she missed a shot and then stole the ball after the Fighting Tigers grabbed the rebound. Hamilton outscored the visitors 23-11 in the second quarter and led 34-25 at the half.
The Continentals opened the third quarter with a 14-4 run and they led by double digits the rest of the night. A Graber layup gave Hamilton its biggest lead of 19 points at 48-29 with 6:07 left in the third. Cobleskill climbed back to within 10 points at 50-40 at the end of three after Coons hit three 3-pointers in the last 90 seconds of the quarter, including one she banked in off the backboard at the buzzer.
The Fighting Tigers didn't get any closer as the Continentals scored the first six points in the fourth quarter for a 56-40 cushion with 6:16 remaining.
Hamilton travels to Bowdoin College for a NESCAC game on Friday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. Cobleskill hosts Cazenovia College for a NEAC contest on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m.
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