COBLESKILL, N.Y. – The Union College women's basketball team started the 2022-23 season with a 52-47 victory over SUNY Cobleskill on Tuesday evening at Iorio Gymnasium.
 
Nine different players had at least one basket for Union (1-0) as part of a well-rounded offensive effort. Senior Megan Lee started the year off with a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, and junior Grace Enselek just missed her first career double-double with a career-high nine points and nine boards in 25 minutes off the bench. Junior Maura Conan chipped in seven points, four boards and four steals as well.
 
The season started slowly for Union, with the visitors hitting only 3-of-18 shots in the opening period. But some solid defense and 5-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line kept Union in the game, trailing by just three (14-11) after 10 minutes.
 
A 7-0 run midway through the second stanza gave Union its first lead of the game, with back-to-back layups by Conan and first-year Jelena Perovic putting the visitors up 21-18 with 4:44 on the clock. The Fighting Tigers clawed back to take a 24-23 lead in the final half-minute before sophomore Claudia Porto sunk a jumper with the clock running down to give the visitors a 25-24 edge at the half.
 
Enselek led all players with eight points in the opening half and also hauled in seven rebounds in 13 minutes of first-half action. Despite 17.1 percent shooting, Union was bailed out by a 13-of-16 effort from the charity stripe to stay in the contest.
 
Cobleskill built up its largest lead of the third period at 33-29 with 4:02 remaining, but Union closed with an 11-4 run to take back the lead. Porto bookended the run with a free throw and a layup, and four other Union players had a basket as well.
 
Union started the fourth frame with a 7-2 run to take its largest lead of the game at 47-39 on a driving layup by sophomore Emma Riley with 3:27 left. After the home team got back within four, Conan hit a free throw and then drew a charge on the next possession as the visitors hit just enough free throws the rest of the way to emerge with the win.
 
Union shot just 22.9 percent (16 of 70) from the field, but got to the free throw line 32 times and sunk 20 to partially make up for it. The visitors also dominated on the glass, hauling in 53 rebounds, and forced 23 turnovers to get the extra possessions needed to earn the victory.
 
Union will head to Brooklyn this weekend for the NYU Tip-Off Classic beginning with a Saturday night matchup against Haverford College at 7 p.m.