Farmingdale State - 87, Mount Saint Mary - 81
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State men's basketball team picked up an 87-81 Skyline Conference victory over Mount Saint Mary this evening in Farmingdale, N.Y. FSC senior forward Hunter Schenkel (Sayville, N.Y.) led the way for the Rams as he scored a game-high 27 points on 8-for-10 shooting. With the win, Farmingdale State improved to 4-3 in conference play, while the Knights fell to 2-4.
Leading 11-9 just over five minutes in, the Rams (8-8) used three straight baskets from Corey Powell (Valley Stream, N.Y.), Schenkel and De'Shawn Todman (Harlem, N.Y.) to go in front by eight.
Mount Saint Mary responded with nine straight points to take a one-point edge at 18-17.
On Farmingdale State's next two possessions Schenkel and senior guard Anthony Miller Jr. (Yonkers, N.Y.) each knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Rams back on top, 23-18.
After the Knights took a 26-25 advantage, senior guard Chaz Platt (Jamaica, N.Y.) hit a 3 before a trio of FSC free-throws allowed them to go up by five at 31-26.
Over the final five minutes of the half, MSMC outscored Farmingdale State 12-11 as the Rams led by four, 42-38, at the break. FSC senior guard Ryan Kennedy (Maspeth, N.Y.) led all scorers with 10 first half points.
Leading 44-40 just 1:21 into the second, Kennedy and Powell hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Rams ahead, 50-40.
Farmingdale State held a 53-45 advantage and used a 7-2 run, including five points from Schenkel, to take a 13-point lead.
After three free-throws allowed MSMC to close within 10, an 11-3 run put the Rams in front, 71-53, with 9:10 on the clock.
With 1:56 left, Farmingdale State led by 16, 81-65, but the Knights recorded 11 of the game's next 12 points to cut the deficit to just six at 82-76.
After Schenkel was fouled and knocked down both free-throws with 24 seconds remaining, Mount Saint Mary senior guard Kendall Francis (Great Neck, N.Y.) hit a 3-pointer to close within five.
The Rams would hit 3-of-4 free-throws over the final 15 seconds as they went on for the 87-81 conference victory.
Schenkel shot 5-for-7 from behind the arc and 6-for-6 at the foul line as he led the team with 27 points to go along with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Kennedy finished with 15 points, while Miller Jr. was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line and had 15 points off the bench. Powell shot 5-of-6 and recorded a season-high 13 points and senior forward Jermaine Fraser (Valley Stream, N.Y.) added five points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the win.
The Knights were led by Francis, who tallied a team-high 26 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds.
Farmingdale State next hosts conference opponent Sarah Lawrence on Saturday, January 25th at 2:00 p.m.
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