#4 Yeshiva - 77, #1 Farmingdale State - 75 F/OT
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The top-seeded Farmingdale State men's basketball team fell, 77-75, in overtime to #4 Yeshiva in the Skyline Conference Semifinals this evening in Farmingdale, N.Y. The Rams were eliminated from the playoffs, while the Maccabees advance to the Finals at #2 Purchase College on Sunday.
Farmingdale State (18-8) trailed by 19 early in the second half and used a 3 by Troy Feeney (Hewlett, N.Y.) and back-to-back scores from Ali Mableton (Brentwood, N.Y.) to cut the deficit to 12, 46-34.
With 8:43 remaining and FSC down 60-47, a 7-0 run over the next 2:04 pulled the Rams within six, 60-54. The Maccabees (18-10) quickly answered with a layup and free-throw to bring the advantage back to nine.
Trailing 64-57 with 4:33 on the clock, junior forward George Riefenstahl (Bayport, N.Y.) hit a layup and Mableton followed with a layup to cut the YU lead to three. After a Kevin Bokor (Chicago, Ill.) basket on the next Maccabees possession, FSC's Chaz Platt (Jamaica, N.Y.) hit a pair at the free-throw line to bring the Yeshiva advantage back to three, 66-63, with 1:27 remaining.
Yeshiva's Gabriel Leifer (Lawrence, N.Y.) connected on a 3-pointer the next time down the court before Riefenstahl answered with a layup and free-throw after being fouled. With 13 seconds on the clock and FSC down 69-66, senior guard Liam Monaghan (Rockaway Beach, N.Y. ) hit the game-tying 3-pointer to even the score at 69-69 and force overtime.
The Maccabees held a one-point edge, 72-71, and extended the lead to three on a Bar Alluf (Kfar Saba, Israel) jumper. The Rams used a pair of Mableton free-throws and one by Feeney to again tie the game at 74-74 with 2:31 left to play in OT. On the next YU possession, sophomore guard Tyler Hod (Teaneck, N.J.) hit a 3 off the pass by Simcha Halpert (Los Angeles, Calif.) to put the Maccabees out in front by three, 77-74. Yeshiva held Farmingdale State to only one point over the final 2:05 to earn the 77-75 victory and clinch a berth into the Skyline Finals.
Riefenstahl finished the night with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting and tied a season-high with 20 rebounds. Junior guard Matthew Graham (Valley Stream, N.Y.) tallied a team-high 17 points and had three assists, while Mableton scored 14 points (6-of-10 shooting) and had a game-high four assists.
The starting five for the Maccabees scored 75 of their 77 points in the victory. Leifer led the way with a game-high 20 points to go along with a team-high 15 boards, while Halpert added 18 points. Alluf and sophomore forward Daniel Katz (Baltimore, Md.) scored 16 and 12 points, respectively.
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