Essence Casey
Posted: Feb 18, 2017
Farmingdale State - 74, Mount Saint Vincent - 61
Riverdale, N.Y. – Farmingdale State junior forward Essence Casey (Huntington Station, N.Y.) scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the Rams close out the regular season with a victory, 74-61, at Mount Saint Vincent yesterday afternoon.
FSC finishes the season 14-11 overall and 12-6 in conference play to earn themselves the #5 seed heading into the playoffs.
Trailing 6-0 just over two minutes into the first quarter, the Rams would use a 16-2 run to take an eight-point lead. Junior guards Kaelyn Ward (East Hampton, N.Y.) and Tyra Harrison (Baldwin, N.Y.), along with Casey, would combine to score all 16 points over the 3:53 span.
After a Mount Saint Vincent (17-8, 13-5) 3-pointer by senior guard Brittany Carroll (Staten Island, N.Y.) cut the FSC advantage to five, a Casey 3-pointer and Harrison layup increased the lead to 10, 21-11.
Casey scored 14 first quarter points as the Rams took a 26-13 advantage into the second.
In the opening minute of the second quarter Mount Saint Vincent freshman forward Dez Brown (Riverhead, N.Y.) converted back-to-back layups and a free-throw to bring the Dolphins deficit back
to eight points, 26-18.
Following a pair of free-throws by Brown late in the quarter, Carroll connected on another 3-pointer to cut the FSC advantage to just four points with 13 seconds remaining in the half.
Ward answered with a 3-pointer of her own just 10 seconds later as Farmingdale State went into the break with a seven-point lead, 41-34.
The Rams opened the second half with 11 unanswered points, capped off with a Casey layup, to take a commanding 52-34 lead.
The Dolphins would quickly cut into the FSC advantage by using their own 9-0 run to bring the deficit to nine points, 52-34.
Over the final two minutes of the third quarter, the Rams' Liz Durchhalter (Franklin Square, N.Y.) connected on a pair of 3-pointers as Farmingdale State took a 14-point lead heading to the final period, 60-46.
Mount Saint Vincent would outscore FSC 15-14 in the fourth quarter, but the Rams held on for the conference win.
Casey hit a season-high four 3-pointers, while also recording four assists and four steals to go along with her double-double.
Harrison finished the contest with 20 points on 8-13 shooting, while Ward added 12 points and seven assists.
The Dolphins were led by junior guard Kristen Merrell (Staten Island, N.Y.) who scored a team-high 18 points on 8-15 shooting.
#5 Farmingdale State will now travel back to Riverdale, N.Y. to face #4 Mount Saint Vincent in the First Round of the Skyline Conference Playoffs on Tuesday, February 21st at 7:00 p.m.
*****