SCHENECTADY, NY—Senior guards
Wade McNamara and
Deshon Burgess each posted a double-double to lead the Union College men's basketball team to a 75-64 win against SUNY Cobleskill in the second game of the 2016 Sig Makofski Tournament, Saturday night at the Viniar Athletic Center.
The Dutchmen (1-1) will face Williams in the Sig Makofski championship game at 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 27, while the Fighting Tigers (0-4) take on Eastern Connecticut in the consolation game at 2 p.m.
McNamara, who registered his first career double-double, finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Burgess also scored 17 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds. Senior guard
Zachary Bouton contributed nine points and a game-high six assists and
Greg King pulled down 10 rebounds to go with six points.
Cobleskill's Joel Costello scored a game-high 20 points to go along with 12 rebounds, Devin Boyle had 12 points and Malik Chambers chipped in with 11 points.
Union's defense was stifling in the first half, holding the Fighting Tigers to 8-of-30 (26.7%) shooting from the field, including 0-for-11 from 3-point range.
The Dutchmen used an 8-2 run midway through the first half to open a 17-8 lead after back-to-back baskets by
Matt Liquori. Cobleskill pulled back within four after two consecutive Kahleel Taylor jumpers, but Union outscored the Fighting Tigers 17-8 over the final 5:43 of the frame to take a 37-22 lead into the break.
Bouton led all scorers with nine points in the half on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, while McNamara added eight points, scoring the team's final seven points.
The Dutchmen extended their lead to 44-24 early in the second after back-to-back layups by King and McNamara. Union continued to pull away, pushing its advantage to 54-32 midway through the second after an
Aaron Gordon 3-pointer.
The Fighting Tigers used an 11-3 run to cut its deficit to 13, but the Dutchmen responded with a 10-2 run of their own to make it 70-52 with 2:45 remaining, putting the game out of reach.Costello scored seven straight points down the stretch to close the game, but Union held on for the 75-62 win.
Union went 26-for-65 (40.0%) from the field and 6-for-27 (22.2%) from 3-point range, while Cobleskill finished 21-for-64 (32.8%) from the floor, including 5-for-23 (21.7%) from three. The Dutchmen outrebounded the Fighting Tigers 55-31.