Old Westbury - 74, Farmingdale State - 59
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State women's basketball team fell to Old Westbury, 74-59, this afternoon. The Rams finish their regular season schedule with an 10-10 Skyline record and will enter the playoffs as the #6 seed.
The Rams (12-11) were down 3-2 just two minutes into the game before freshman forward Layla Mendoza (Westhampton Beach, N.Y.) recorded two straight layups to take a 6-3 advantage.
After a layup by Farmingdale State freshman forward Kalena Ricketts (Cambria Heights, N.Y.), Mendoza hit a free-throw and senior guard Anna Zaborowska (East Patchogue, N.Y.) knocked down a 3-pointer to give FSC a 12-3 lead.
Old Westbury (8-14, 7-13 Skyline) trailed 14-5 with 3:39 on the clock and outscored the Rams, 11-3, to close the quarter as they cut their deficit to just one, 17-16.
The Panthers came out quick in the second as they used a layup and a 3-pointer to go in front, 21-17.
OW led 23-21 before a 3 and a jumper by Melinda Harris increased their advantage to seven at 28-21.
Farmingdale State was behind 31-25 at the halftime break but opened the third quarter with layups by freshman forward Samantha Muller (North Babylon, N.Y.) and Mendoza to close within two.
Following an Old Westbury layup, a 6-0 run, including three points apiece from Muller and Mendoza, put the Rams ahead, 35-33.
The Panthers were still down by two, 37-35, with six minutes remaining in the third quarter but used a pair of Cherish Francis 3-pointers and a layup by Allysha Thomas to go in front, 43-37.
With Old Westbury leading 48-44, a 7-0 run to close the quarter gave OW a 55-44 advantage.
The Rams were outscored 19-15 in the fourth as the Panthers went on for the 74-59 victory.
Muller and Mendoza led the way for FSC with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman guard Jenna Pignataro (Farmingville, N.Y.) tallied eight points, two assists and a block off the bench, while Zaborowska and senior guard Alexis Jackson (Central Islip, N.Y.) notched six points apiece.
For OW, Ja'Nya Flash finished with 20 points, 20 rebounds and four blocked shots in the win.
Farmingdale State has earned the #6 seed for the Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Championship and will travel to play #3 Mount Saint Vincent in the First Round on Tuesday, February 22nd at 7:00 p.m.
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