CONTACT: Jeff Foley (518) 629-8085
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Friday, December 1, 2000
http://www.hvcc.edu
Ninth-Ranked Vikings Win Defensive Battle, Holding Sixth- Ranked Cobleskill 29 Points Below Season Average
Troy, November 30 - The Vikings did it with defense tonight. Forwards R.J. Mann (Canajoharie) and Jason McKinney (South Glens Falls) clamped down on six-foot-six Kyle Jones, the second-leading scorer in the nation among NJCAA Division III players, and Hudson Valley upended SUNY Cobleskill, 63-60.
Facing Hudson Valley's formidable defense, Cobleskill finished 29 points shy of its per-game average.
A Mountain Valley Conference contest between two of the country's top squads - Cobleskill came into the matchup ranked sixth and riding a nine-game winning streak; Hudson Valley entered the game ranked ninth and sporting a 5-1 record - the game went down to the wire. The score was tied at 57 apiece with just 1:28 remaining.
Hudson Valley, however, hit six consecutive free throws in the final 60 seconds as the McDonough Complex crowd erupted. Kyle Miller (Columbia) drilled four shots from the charity stripe and Paul Bowe (Hudson Falls) connected twice. The Vikings were 13-for-16 from the foul line in the game's final 10 minutes.
Thomas Perren (Brotmanville, NJ) secured the win with his fifth block of the evening, swatting aside a Cobleskill shot with 38 seconds left. Miller came down with the rebound and was fouled. Perren, a six-foot-five second-year center, finished the game with 13 rebounds and five points.
Mann and McKinney, meanwhile, held Jones to 15 points, 11 below his season average. McKinney also led the Vikings with 12 points. Mann contributed eight points, eight rebounds and three steals. Miller had 11 points.
Hudson Valley improved to 6-1 with the win. Cobleskill dropped to 9-1.