#25 Purchase College - 77, Farmingdale State - 57
Purchase, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State men's basketball team dropped to 4-1, 1-1 Skyline today with a 77-57 loss at the hands of the defending Skyline Champions and 25th-ranked Purchase College (7-0, 2-0).
In a close first half, Farmingdale State trailed 14-8 at the 13-minute mark, before a 10-2 run over a six minute span put the Rams ahead for the first time, 18-16. After a free throw and a Franklyn Mickens (Glen Cove, N.Y.) three-pointer, Purchase stole back the lead, 20-18.
Farmingdale State senior guard Jonathan Annan (Staten Island, N.Y.) responded with a lay-up to tie it again 20-20, but senior guard Andre Nixon (Harlem, N.Y.) sank two three's and a lay-up for Purchase to give them an eight point cushion with 3:51 on the clock.
The Rams chipped away with buckets by junior guard Justin Bailey (Jamaica, N.Y.), Annan and senior forward Curtis Williams (Stony Brook, N.Y.) to trail by two, 28-26, but Purchase kept scoring and would hold a 37-31 advantage at the break.
In the second, the Panthers pushed the lead up to 12 over the first four minutes, but the Rams came back and tied the game, 49-49, with 10 minutes remaining. A dunk by Purchase, followed by two three's would spark a final run by the Panthers, as they hit 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to take the conference win.
For Farmingdale State, Annan led with 25 points, three assists and two steals, while Bailey pulled down eight boards and totaled four points. Senior center Donald Lawes (Queens, N.Y.) finished with five points, five rebounds and five blocks. Freshman forward Weldon Irvine (Queens, N.Y.) tallied eight points and seven rebounds.
Purchase was led by Nixon with 19 points, while junior guard Justin Person (Greenburgh, N.Y.) finished with 14 and Mickens and senior guard Ryan Lobban (Bronx, N.Y.) scored 13 points each.
The Rams will now travel to Mahwah, N.J. to face non-conference opponent Ramapo College on Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00 p.m.
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