Yeshiva - 88, Farmingdale State - 83
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State men's basketball team dropped their first conference game of the season to Yeshiva University this evening, 88-83. After the Rams took a 74-72 lead with 4:22 left, the Maccabees outscored FSC 16-9 down the stretch while shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to seal the victory. With the loss, the Rams dropped to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the Skyline, while the Maccabees improved to 6-5, 6-2.
Knotted at 6-6 just 3:52 into the game, Yeshiva junior guard Simcha Halpert (Los Angeles, Calif.) hit a 3-pointer before a layup from junior forward Gabriel Leifer (Lawrence, N.Y.) gave the Maccabees a five-point advantage.
After trading baskets, FSC senior forward George Riefenstahl (Bayport, N.Y.) tallied a layup and senior guard Ali Mableton (Brentwood, N.Y.) hit a pair of free-throws to cut the deficit to only one, 13-12. Over the next 2:05, Yeshiva used a 10-2 run to open up a 23-14 lead with 11:25 on the clock.
Trailing 34-26, Mableton laid the ball in before five straight points from sophomore guard Joseph Santoro (Levittown, N.Y.) allowed the Rams to close within just one, 34-33. Over the final 3:16 of the half, the Maccabees knocked down a pair of 3's and outscored FSC 10-2 to take a 44-35 advantage into the break.
Farmingdale State opened the second half with seven straight points to cut the deficit to two, 44-42. Junior forward Troy Feeney (Hewlett, N.Y.) hit a layup before junior guard Ryan Kennedy (Maspeth, N.Y.) knocked down a 3 and followed with a layup.
After an 11-6 run by the Maccabees, Rams' senior guard Matthew Graham (Valley Stream, N.Y.) hit a 3-pointer to make it a two-point game, 53-51. After a layup from Halpert, Graham knocked down another 3 to close within one, 55-54.
With 7:15 remaining and Yeshiva still leading by one, 67-66, Halpert tallied his third 3-pointer of the game to go ahead by four. FSC responded with a 3 from Graham and three free-throws to take a 72-70 advantage. After the Maccabees tied the game with a Leifer basket, Feeney hit a layup on FSC's next trip down the floor to regain the two-point lead. Yeshiva again tied the score on their next possession with a layup from Leifer off the feed from junior forward Daniel Katz (Baltimore, Md.).
After an FSC miss, the Maccabees regained a four-point edge, 78-74, with a layup and a dunk. With 1:26 left, Riefenstahl hit a pair of free-throws to close within two, 80-78, but Yeshiva answered with a layup on their next possession to go up 82-78.
Yeshiva led 84-79 and used four free-throws from freshman guard Ryan Turrell (Los Angeles, Calif.) to seal the 88-83 conference victory.
Mableton tallied a team-high 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting, while Riefenstahl had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with four blocks. Kennedy recorded 15 points and Graham finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. Santoro produced a season-high 10 points and three assists in the loss.
Yeshiva was led by Leifer, who registered 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals. Turrell ended with a game-high 24 points, while Halpert recorded 17 points.
The Rams next host non-conference opponent Ramapo on Saturday, December 15th at 2:00 p.m. on CYO Day. CYO Day will start at noon in the Nold Athletic Complex and is a clinic for kids of all ages that offers the chance to learn skills and drills from Farmingdale State coaches and players.
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