Farmingdale State - 66, St. Joseph's-Long Island - 63
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The FSC men's basketball team trailed by 20, 38-18, with 1:21 left to play in the first half, before outscoring St. Joseph's-Long Island 48-25 over the remainder of the game to earn a 66-63 Skyline Conference victory this evening. The Rams have won their sixth straight game and improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in Skyline play.
St. Joseph's-Long Island (2-5, 0-1 Skyline) led 19-13 midway through the first half and went on a 12-2 run, including 3's from Ryan McNeely and Matthew Hirdt, to jump out to a 16-point advantage, 31-15.
With 2:40 on the clock and SJLI leading 33-18, another McNeely 3 and a Hirdt layup put the Golden Eagles ahead by 20.
FSC closed the half with eight unanswered points, including five from junior guard Jevon Santos (Elmont, N.Y.), to close the gap to 38-26 at the break.
St. Joe's Spencer Malloy led all scorers with 12 points in the first 20 minutes.
The Golden Eagles opened the second half with five straight points from Hirdt to regain a 17-point lead.
Over the next 4:10, Farmingdale State went on a 13-0 run, including five points from Santos and four by senior forward Tre Riggins (Baldwin, N.Y.), to cut their deficit to just four with 13:29 remaining.
Farmingdale State was still down by four, 53-49, with 6:40 left to play, and used jumpers from junior guard Kobe Thomas (Hicksville, N.Y.) and freshman guard Michael Notias (Manhasset, N.Y.) to knot the score at 53-53.
After Malloy was fouled and hit one free-throw, Thomas and Riggins registered back-to-back baskets to go in front, 57-54, with four minutes on the clock.
Malloy hit 1-of-2 free throws again, before Santos buried a 3-pointer to give FSC a five-point advantage, 60-55.
St. Joseph's-Long Island knocked down a 3 of their own to make it a two-point game, but a Riggins dunk on the other end put FSC ahead by four.
The Golden Eagles hit another 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining to close within one point, 62-61, before senior guard Corey Powell (Valley Stream, N.Y.) clinched the 66-63 win with four straight free-throws.
Santos tallied 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals, while Powell had 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Riggins was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and recorded 12 points, seven rebounds and one steal. Thomas produced 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and a block off the bench, while Aaron Davis (Valley Stream, N.Y.) had eight points and two assists.
Malloy led the Golden Eagles with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
FSC next will host Skyline Conference opponent Mount Saint Vincent on Saturday, December 10th at 1:00 p.m. on CYO Day.
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