Rams Drop Skyline Matchup at Purchase

Purchase College - 75, Farmingdale State - 59

Purchase, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State men's basketball team fell, 75-59, on the road at Purchase College. The Rams now stand at 6-8 overall, 6-3 in the Skyline Conference, while the Panthers improved to 10-5, 7-3 in conference play.

Purchase jumped out to an early 10-3 lead five minutes into the game, after three straight baskets by junior forward Marvin Billups (Chester, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury/ Notre Dame Prep.). The Rams pulled within four, midway through the first half on back to back three-pointers by freshman guard Wade Cress (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis). A 6-0 run over the next 1:16 extended the Panthers' lead to 24-14. Farmingdale trailed 34-28 at halftime.

Late in the second half, the Rams trailed by 10 points until junior guard Shahee Martin (Queens, N.Y./West Hempstead) hit a jumper, Purchase turned the ball over and Martin scored another two point basket, cutting the deficit to 60-54 with 3:54 remaining. The Panthers countered with eight straight points and opened up their largest lead of the game with 1:12 to play. Purchase made 7-of-8 free-throws over the final minute to seal the victory.

Farmingdale was led by Martin who scored 20 points and grabbed six boards. Freshman guard Ricco Oliver (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys and Girls) scored 12, shooting 4-for-8 from behind the arc.

Billups recorded a game-high 30 points for the Panthers, shooting 53% from the field. Junior center Corey Orgias (Highland Mills, N.Y./ Monroe-Woodbury/Notre Dame Prep.) had 14 points and three assists, while junior guard Justin Walters (Tarrytown, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) scored 11 and had a game-high seven rebounds.

The Rams will travel to St. Joseph's College for a Skyline game on Thursday, January 21st at 8:00 p.m.

*****