Farmingdale State - 80, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn - 70
Farmingdale, N.Y. - Farmingdale State sophomore forward AJ Smith (Freeport, N.Y.) scored a career-high 30 points on 12-of-21 shooting in the 80-70 Skyline victory over St. Joseph's-Brooklyn this evening.
Leading 19-17 late in the first, FSC (6-6, 5-2) closed the quarter with layups from junior guard Kaelyn Ward (East Hampton, N.Y.) and junior forward Essence Casey (Huntington Station, N.Y.) to extend the advantage to six, 23-17.
After the Bears (4-8, 2-4) cut the deficit to 26-21 with 7:59 remaining in the second, the Rams used a 7-0 run which saw five points from junior guard Tyra Harrison (Baldwin, N.Y.) to take a 12-point lead.
With 5:32 left in the quarter and Farmingdale State on top 35-25, the Rams scored nine unanswered points to extend the advantage to 44-25. FSC took a 50-34 lead into the break as Harrison and Smith scored 17 and 16 first half points, respectively.
A Smith 3-pointer with 5:25 remaining in the third put the Rams ahead 61-40, but a quick 5-0 St. Joe's-Brooklyn run cut the Bears' deficit to 61-45.
After a Harrison layup late in the fourth brought the FSC lead to 75-61, the Bears used seven straight points to close within seven, 75-68. The Rams ended the game on a 5-2 run to cap off the 80-70 conference win.
Harrison finished with 21 points and a game-high six assists, while Casey recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists. Ward scored five points, had five steals and three assists in the victory.
Junior guard Destiny Marino (Howard Beach, N.Y.) scored a team-high 17 points and had nine boards for St. Joe's-Brooklyn.
FSC next will travel to Purchase for a Skyline Conference game on Saturday, January 14th at 2:00 p.m.
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