Merchant Marine - 84, Farmingdale State - 71
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State men's basketball team hosted the United States Merchant Marine Academy for a Skyline Conference game this evening and lost, 84-71.
FSC (8-7, 4-2 Skyline) trailed 5-3 just under three minutes into the game and used nine unanswered points, featuring five points from sophomore guard Nick Hurowitz (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) and four points by sophomore forward Tre Riggins (Baldwin, N.Y.), to jump out in front, 12-5.
USMMA (7-6, 4-2 Skyline) responded with a 12-2 run over the next 4:20, capped off by a 3-pointer from freshman guard Kody Robinson (Woodbridge, N.J.), to regain the lead, 17-14.
Farmingdale State was down 23-16 before a jumper from sophomore guard Aaron Davis (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and four points from Riggins cut their deficit to just one, 23-22.
Over the final 6:36 of the first half, the Mariners outscored the Rams, 17-8, as they took a 10-point advantage, 40-30, into the break.
Hurowitz and Riggins led FSC with 10 and nine points, respectively, in the first 20 minutes.
FSC opened the second half with back-to-back layups by Riggins and a jumper from Davis to close within four at 40-36.
The Rams trailed 43-40 and used a 3-pointer from Hurowitz to tie the game. Freshman guard Isaac Vencel (Bloomington, Ind.) answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession as Merchant Marine took the three-point edge.
Over the next three minutes, the Mariners used a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Gavin Green (Flower Mound, Texas) and a pair of Isaiah Nix (Yorktown, Penn.) layups to open up a 10-point lead, 53-43.
After a three-point play from Riggins, back-to-back Mariners layups gave them a 12-point advantage, 57-45, with 7:37 left to play.
Merchant Marine still led by 12, 61-49, with 5:31 remaining before a free-throw from Riggins and a Hurowitz layup. After two free-throws by USMMA, Davis knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the Rams deficit to eight, 63-55, with five minutes on the clock.
The Mariners quickly responded with two free-throws and a layup on their next two trips down the floor.
Over the final 4:08, USMMA hit eight free-throws, outscoring Farmingdale State, 17-16, en route to the 84-71 win.
Davis finished with a game-high 19 points, to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Riggins tallied 16 points and three rebounds and Hurowitz recorded 15 points, two steals and eight caroms. Sophomore guard Zamere McKenzie (Beacon, N.Y.) registered eight points off the bench, while freshman guard Jevon Santos (Elmont, N.Y.) produced seven points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Merchant Marine was led by sophomore guard Bryce Bristow (Plano, Texas) and Vencel, who had 18 and 15 points, respectively.
Farmingdale State next will head on the road to play Mount Saint Vincent on Thursday, January 20th at 8:00 p.m.
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