THE BASICS 
No. 3 Lesley University Lynx, 41 vs. No. 1 SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers, 104

Location: Cobleskill, N.Y.-Iorio Gymnasium

Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025

THE LEAD -   The Lesley University women's basketball team's magical turnaround season finally came to a close Saturday as the No. 3 seeded Lynx fell to No.1 seeded SUNY Cobleskill, 104-41 in the NAC West Division Championship. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was all SUNY Cobleskill in the opening moments of the first. The Fighting Tigers raced out to a 14-0 advantage before Bella Terry (El Cajon, Calif.) broke up the SUNY Cobleskill run with a layup, which led to a Lesley timeout. Antonia May and Cara Walker led the Fighting Tigers offense early scoring six points apiece. 
• Coming out of the break, SUNY Cobleskill continued where it left off and saw its lead balloon to 16 (22-6). However, Lesley trimmed the deficit down to single digits (25-14) courtesy of a 9-3 run led by five points from Terry. 
• Going into the second, the Fighting Tigers held a 28-15 advantage and only saw the lead grow even more. SUNY Cobleskill gained more separation by going on an 8-1 run early in the frame before the Lynx had to call timeout. After the timeout, SUNY Cobleskill continued where it left off and closed out the remaining 6:06 of the quarter on a 20-7 stretch for a 53-26 halftime lead. May led the Fighting Tigers with 13 points at the half whereas Terry was the leading scorer for the Lynx with 15 points. 
• The third quarter was more of the same for SUNY Cobleskill as the Fighting Tigers offense continued its strong play and started the quarter on an 18-2 run (71-28), which led to a Lesley timeout with 3:38 left in the quarter. Walker led the SUNY Cobleskill stretch in the third with seven points including a three-pointer. Coming out of the timeout, Mariana Richwine (Buckeye, Ariz.) would knock down a jumper for the Lynx but the hosts closed out the frame on a 5-1 stretch and took a 75-31 lead into the fourth. 
• In the final quarter, it was all SUNY Cobleskill again as the hosts outscored the Lynx, 29-10, with May and Talia Washington leading the way, each chipping in six points. Meanwhile, for the Lynx, it was Ahidali DeHuelbes (Tucson, Ariz.) and Terry who led the squad with five points apiece in the fourth. Unfortunately, it would be the Fighting Tigers who would come away victorious, 104-41. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Terry led the Lynx offense with 20 points on the afternoon. It was her fourth 20-point game of the year. 
• On the glass, DeHuelbes led the squad with seven boards and dished out a team-high four assists. She now finishes the year with 20 games recording five or more rebounds. 
• For the hosts, Walker led all scorers with a game-high 22 points. The Fighting Tigers also saw two others finish with at least 20 points: Logan Thayne and May, who both scored 20 points each. 
• Thayne also recorded her 13th consecutive and 23rd overall double-double of the season by grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with her 20 points. 
• This season was the first time the Lynx finished with at least 10 wins (11) since 2010-11. It is also the highest win total under Lesley head coach Martin Rather. 
• Lesley's 11-win season also marked the largest turnaround in program history, as the Lynx were just 1-23 last season. 
• Going into the 2024-25 season, the Lynx were projected to finish last in the West Division but exceeded expectations by finishing third with a 3-9 NAC record. 

Photo Credit: Saro Karageozian