2023 Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Championship
No. 1 Farmingdale State 71, No. 2 Manhattanville 65
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | Behind a 16-point, two-block effort from senior guard and co-captain Corey Powell (Valley Stream, N.Y.), the top-seeded Farmingdale State College men's basketball team took home its sixth Skyline Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon, defeating visiting second-seeded Manhattanville College by a 71-65 score.
Powell was named Most Outstanding Player of the Championship for the host Rams (21-7), who have won three of the last six Skyline titles. FSC has now earned automatic qualification into the 64-team, 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship -- which gets underway next weekend. Head coach Brendan Twomey's side will learn its first-round match-up via an online selection show at NCAA.com, Monday (Feb. 27) at 1 p.m.
Senior swingman Nick Hurowitz (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) registered a double-double for the victors with 15 points and a game-best 10 rebounds, while junior point guard and co-captain Jevon Santos (Elmont, N.Y.) registered 13 points and three assists. Seniors Tre Riggins (Baldwin, N.Y.; five rebounds) and Zamere McKenzie (Beacon, N.Y.) added eight points apiece in the triumph.
Jackson Leech recorded 12 points on the low blocks for the Valiants (21-7), while Tommy Lotito checked in with 16 points and seven caroms.
The teams combined for five ties and four lead changes in the opening half of play, with Santos giving FSC its largest lead of the frame at 21-15 on a driving layup with 6:15 to go. Manhattanville closed the half on a 12-5 run, and took a 27-26 lead into halftime on a jumper by Ryan Giordano with 1:46 remaining.
Lotito's pair at the charity stripe with 13 minutes to go pushed his side ahead 40-33 for the Valiants' largest lead of the afternoon. McKenzie scored the next six points of the game over a 31-second span to keep the Rams within striking distance, before a later 12-1 run pushed the hosts in front for good when Riggins's put-back underneath with 4:58 showing on the scoreboard brought FSC ahead by a 57-51 count. Manhattanville closed to within a pair at 67-65 on Leech's pair at the free-throw line with under 17 seconds to go, before McKenzie and senior Elijah Galloway (Bronx, N.Y.) made two freebies apiece down the stretch to close things out for the host side.
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