Albertus Magnus - 72, Farmingdale State - 65
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State women's basketball team hosted non-conference opponent Albertus Magnus this afternoon and fell, 72-65.
Trailing 3-0 early in the first quarter, the Falcons (7-3) used a 15-0 run to open up a 12 point advantage, 15-3.
After the Rams (5-7) used back-to-back layups by senior forward Essence Casey (Huntington Station, N.Y.) and senior guard Kaelyn Ward (East Hampton, N.Y.) to cut the deficit to eight, 15-7, a pair of free throws by Albertus Magnus junior guard Kiki Epps (Norwalk, Conn.) regained a Falcons 10-point edge, 17-7, with 3:18 remaining in the first quarter.
Down 20-10, the Rams used an 8-0 run on a Ward layup and back-to-back 3's by junior guard Alexis Antonacci (Plainview, N.Y.) and Casey to cut the deficit to just two, 20-18.
The Falcons would lead by four, 22-18, entering the second quarter and scored five unanswered points to bring their advantage to nine, 27-18.
Leading 36-30 with 2:47 remaining in the half, Albertus Magnus ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to go into the break leading by 12, 42-30.
Trailing 44-30 with 7:38 left in the third quarter, a quick 7-0 run by Farmingdale State cut their deficit to just seven. The Falcons would quickly counter as senior forward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) tallied a pair of layups to bring the advantage back to 11, 48-37, with 4:03 left in the third. Albertus Magnus would enter the fourth quarter leading 53-44.
The Falcons scored the first seven points in the fourth as they opened up their largest lead of the game, 60-44, with 8:28 remaining.
FSC outscored Albertus Magnus 21-12 the rest of the way but it was not enough as they dropped the non-conference matchup, 72-65.
The Rams were led by Casey's team-high 22 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, while Antonacci and Ward finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Junior guard Selena LaFranca (Smithtown, N.Y.) added 11 points off the bench, while freshman forward Alexis Hunter (Brooklyn, N.Y.) pulled down five rebounds and recorded a game-high two blocks in the loss.
Bolden led the way for the Falcons with game-highs in both points (26) and rebounds (12). Junior guard Jill Johnson (North Haven, Conn.) produced a game-high eight assists and five steals for Albertus Magnus.
Farmingdale State next hosts Skyline Conference opponent St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Wednesday, January 3rd at 4:00 p.m.
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