FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team (6-14, 5-8 Skyline) scored the final six points of the game, but fell a point shy to drop a 57-56 decision at Farmingdale State College (6-13, 4-8 Skyline) in a crucial Skyline Conference matchup Thursday evening.
The loss keeps the Knights in seventh place in the Skyline Conference and 1.5 games behind Purchase College for the final spot in the postseason. The Knights have five Skyline games remaining in the regular season, including a matchup with Purchase on the final day of the season.
The Knights held the advantage early on in Thursday's contest, leading for the first 15 minutes before a jumper by Anthony Lanieri put Farmingdale State ahead, 25-24. Freshman guard
Tyler McDine (Suffern, N.Y.) followed up with a layup to give the Knights the lead again, but Lanieri scored another two on the next play to give the home team the lead once again. Sophomore forward
Alex Smith (Marlboro, N.Y.) then drew a three-point play to put the Knights up by a pair, but the Rams scored the final four points of the half to take a 31-29 lead into the break.
The Knights immediately tied the game on a jumper by McDine in the opening minute of the second frame. The Rams took the lead back on their next possession, and held it until freshman forward
Gerard Nocera (Holmdel, N.J.) hit a three at the 14:38 mark to tie the game at 40-40. Farmingdale State once again took the lead immediately after, but was never able to take a lead larger than seven points. The home team was up, 57-50, before the Knights made their final push across the last three minutes of the game.
McDine ran down the court and scored on a fast break after a rebound by Smith to get the Knights within five with 120 seconds left. Nocera then forced a turnover from Ruben Terrero, and scored on the ensuing possession to close within three. Junior guard
Stephen Steyer (Staten Island, N.Y.) forced another Ram turnover, which led to Smith being fouled and making a pair of free throws to put the Knights down by just a single point.
Lanieri was called for a charge on the Rams' next possession, giving the Knights a chance to take the lead with 16 seconds left on the clock. After both teams called timeouts, the Knights drew up one last quick play to try to steal the win. McDine was given the rock with the clock about to hit zero, but was unable to connect on a jumper, allowing the home team to escape with a one-point victory.
Eddie Kinloch came off the bench to lead Farmingdale State with 12 points. Lanieri and Weldon Irvine each contributed 11 points and eight rebounds.
Nocera had a game-high 15 points, while Smith converted a double-double for the second straight game with 12 points and 10 boards. McDine reached double-digits as well with 10 points.
The Knights were good on 21-of-50 shots (42 percent) on the evening, while Farmingdale State was held to 39.4 percent (26-of-66) on the night. The Rams picked up 43 rebounds, allowing the Knights to grab just 32. Farmingdale State did not make a single three-pointer, while the Knights were 5-of-12. Farmingdale State's size and depth got the better of the Knights this time around, as the Rams outscored the Knights in the paint, 44-30, on second-chance points, 22-5, and bench points, 21-7.
Needing every Skyline win they can get, the Knights face another significant matchup on Saturday, Feb. 7, as they host the College of Mount Saint Vincent at the Kaplan Center. In their last matchup, the Knights fell to the Dolphins in overtime, 74-67. Tip-off for Saturday's rematch is set for 3 p.m. Saturday is also Super Fan Day, where the first 50 fans to the men's game will receive a Knight Pride t-shirt, and free food will be offered to all students.
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