Mount Saint Mary - 53, Farmingdale State - 48
Farmingdale, N.Y. - Mount Saint Mary College trailed 48-43 with 7:50 left to play and outscored Farmingdale State 10-0 the remainder of the game as they earned the Skyline Conference victory, 53-48. The FSC women's basketball team now stands at 11-11 overall and 10-5 in conference play, while the Knights improved to 17-5, 14-1.
Tied 10-10 with 4:13 left in the first, the Rams closed the quarter on an 8-2 run as they took a six point lead at 18-12.
Farmingdale State would score the first eight points of the second quarter on a Julia Hande (Islip, N.Y.) layup and 3's by both Alexis Antonacci (Plainview, N.Y.) and Essence Casey (Huntington Station, N.Y.) to open up a 14-point advantage, 26-12.
MSMC would respond with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to six, 26-20, with 3:09 left in the half. The Rams would take a 29-24 lead into the break as Antonacci led all scorers with 14 first half points.
With 4:23 remaining in the third quarter and FSC leading 36-33, a layup by Knights' junior center Kayla Cleare (West Hempstead, N.Y.) and a jumper from senior forward Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) put Mount Saint Mary ahead by one.
After a Casey free-throw tied the game, a 3 by Farmingdale State senior guard Liz Durchhalter (Franklin Square, N.Y.) gave the Rams a three-point lead, 40-37.
Ahead by two, 45-43, with 7:50 remaining, another 3 by Durchhalter increased the FSC advantage to 48-43. The Knights recorded three straight baskets to open up a one-point advantage, 49-48, with 3:23 left on the clock. In the final 1:31 of the game, MSMC hit four free-throws as they earned the Skyline victory, 53-48.
Antonacci led the way for the Rams with a game-high 14 points to go along with four assists and three steals. Senior guard Kaelyn Ward (East Hampton, N.Y.) tallied 13 points, six rebounds and a game-high two blocks, while Durchhalter hit four 3-pointers for 12 points in the loss.
For Mount Saint Mary, freshman guard Katie Smith (Goshen, N.Y.) scored a team-high 13 points, while Rini finished with eight points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Rams next host Purchase on Saturday, February 10th at noon on Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
*****