NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship - First Round
No. 2 Christopher Newport - 61; Farmingdale State - 60
HAMPDEN SYDNEY, Va. | A strong defensive effort by Farmingdale State College gave it a chance to win at the buzzer Friday night at Kirby Field House, but the Rams' final shot rimmed out in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship, as Christopher Newport University -- ranked No. 2 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll -- escaped with a 61-60 victory.
FSC, the champions of the Skyline Conference for the third time in the last six seasons, wraps up its season with a 21-8 record. The Captains (25-3) now advance to Saturday's second round at 7:20 p.m. against Friday's winner between Emory and 20th-ranked host Hampden-Sydney College.
Senior post Tre Riggins (Baldwin, N.Y.) and senior guard Aaron Davis (Valley Stream, N.Y.) each scored 15 points for the green and white. Riggins went 5-of-5 from the floor, including three made long-range efforts (entering the game: 2-of-8 3FG on the season), while Davis came off the bench for a season-high on 7-of-15 shooting. Junior point guard and co-captain Jevon Santos (Elmont, N.Y.) added seven points and two assists, while senior swingman Nick Hurowitz (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) registered four points and eight caroms. Senior reserve Zamere McKenzie (Beacon, N.Y.) contributed five points and seven boards for the Rams, who out-rebounded CNU by a 50-48 count and outscored the Captains bench, 27-7. All 11 players who took the floor for FSC either scored or assisted on the night, as the team held CNU to .387 shooting on the night and a 3-of-20 effort from beyond the 3-point arc.
Farmingdale State closed a first half that featured five ties and six lead changes with a 13-0 run over the final 3:41 to enter the locker rooms with a 32-22 edge. Davis scored five of his half-best seven points during the spurt, while Santos knocked down an 18-foot pull-up at the buzzer to account for the double-digit halftime advantage. FSC outscored the Captains' bench 17-3 in the opening frame, while Santos and Riggins netted five apiece. The Rams limited Christopher Newport to a 9-of-28 (.321) shooting display, including a 1-of-13 showing from downtown.
The Rams extended their lead to 41-27 three-plus minutes into the second stanza when senior guard and co-captain Corey Powell (Valley Stream, N.Y.) knocked down a pull-up jumper, before Hurowitz canned a free throw to give his side a double-digit lead, 42-32, with 14:15 remaining. The Captains then scored the next 11 points of the contest to go ahead 43-42 with 10:13 showing on the clock, before Davis responded in the next trip down the court with a pull-up jumper, followed by Riggins splashing a 25-footer, to put their team back in front by four. Following a CNU dunk, Hurowitz canned a trey off a pump fake to put FSC ahead 54-49 with under seven minutes remaining.
Christopher Newport went back ahead by one with 4:59 to go, before Santos's no-look bounce pass in the paint 13 seconds later fed Riggins for a wide-open dunk to put the Rams ahead, 56-55, with 4:46 left. After Davis converted a pass from Hurowitz with 3:07 remaining to push his side ahead 58-55 with three minutes left, consecutive buckets down low sent the Captains ahead 59-58 with 79 seconds to go.
With 58 seconds to go, McKenzie was fouled on a drive and canned both of his efforts under pressure from the charity stripe to give Farmingdale State a 60-59 edge. CNU converted a hook shot 16 seconds later to go back ahead, before the Rams fouled after a turnover with 24 seconds to go. Christopher Newport missed the front end of its bonus free throw, giving the Rams an opportunity to win the contest out of a timeout. After a missed shot rebounded out of play, Farmingdale State had one more chance to earn the victory. Powell got off a 20-foot fadeaway from the right wing before the horn, but the on-line effort rimmed out on the front side of the hoop to advance the Captains.