Box Score

NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The much anticipated showdown between Mount Saint Mary College and Farmingdale State College didn't disappoint the Kaplan Center crowd on Saturday afternoon.  The Rams (20-5 overall, 16-2 Skyline) claimed a 68-67 victory over the Knights (19-6 overall, 14-4 Skyline) as a last second put-back went in and out.

With the game tied at 61 and 1:25 remaining, Mount sophomore Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) forced a turnover and went the length of the floor for a fast break layup, giving the Knights a 63-61 advantage.  The Rams had a quick answer, however, as senior Joshua Smith (Deer Park, N.Y.) went hard to the basket for a layup.  Smith was fouled on the play and made the ensuing free throw to give Farmingdale the lead, 64-63.

After a Mount timeout, Stabach got loose for a three-pointer in the corner, but his attempt went in-and-out and Farmingdale freshman Ibrahim Johnson (New York, N.Y.) came down with the rebound.  Johnson was fouled and calmly sunk a pair of free throws to increase the lead to three.  On the ensuing possession, Farmingdale seemed to have the Knights locked up with a strong defensive effort.  But sophomore Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) created a bit of space and hit an off-balance, double-clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 66-66.

Then, on a sideline inbounds play with eight seconds remaining, Smith found junior AJ Matthews (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in the post.  Matthews went to work on senior Carlos Valdez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) and put home the go-ahead layup, making it 68-66, Rams.

The Knights would have one more excellent chance, however.  After calling a timeout with three seconds to go, Stabach was fouled before the ball could be put inbounds.  He made the first of two free throw attempts, but his second was off the mark.  Valdez collected the offensive rebound, but his put-back attempt wouldn't fall, allowing the Rams to escape with a one-point victory.

Stabach led all scorers with 21 points, 19 of them coming during a stellar second half.  He also grabbed eight rebounds.  Senior Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.) added 14 points and five rebounds, while Valdez totaled 13 points and nine boards.

Senior Dyshaun Flournoy (Brentwood, N.Y.) led the Rams with 17 points, but shot just 6-of-16 from the field.  Matthews completed his 21st double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards, while Johnson just missed a double-double of his own with 15 points and nine boards.  Smith added 12 points for the Rams.

The Knights struggled to find the range in the opening half, shooting just 20.5-percent.  They connected at 53.6-percent in the second to finish the game at 34.3-percent.  Farmingdale shot 45.9-percent for the contest.

Mount Saint Mary will serve as the third seed in next week's conference tournament.  The Knights host sixth-seeded Mount Saint Vincent in a quarterfinal game on Tuesday, February 21.  Game time is 7:00 p.m.