Farmingdale State 65, St. Joseph's-Long Island 63
PATCHOGUE, N.Y. | Trailing by 14 points with less than 12 minutes remaining Wednesday night at the Danzi Center, the Farmingdale State College men's basketball team rallied to capture a 65-63, Skyline Conference-opening victory at St. Joseph's University-Long Island.
The Rams (7-1, 1-0 Skyline) leveled the game at 56 apiece when senior guard
Aaron Davis (Valley Stream, N.Y.) put home a layup with 3:10 remaining. Following a Golden Eagles (4-4, 0-1) free throw, FSC senior swingman
Nick Hurowitz (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) tallied the next seven points of the contest – giving his team its first lead of the night on a layup with 2:32 remaining, before his conventional 3-point play with 1:46 left put the visitors ahead, 63-57. Hurowitz's stretch capped a 29-9 run by the visitors, who battled back after finding themselves down 48-34 with 11:58 remaining.
SJC scored the next six points to tie the contest at 63-63 on a lay-in with 11.5 seconds left, before Davis (game- and season-high-tying 21 pts.) was fouled at the top of the key on a long-range effort with 1.8 seconds showing on the clock. The senior connected on his first and third free throws, before classmate
Corey Powell (Valley Stream, N.Y.) stole the ensuing inbound pass at midcourt to secure the triumph.
St. Joseph's scored the first 10 points over a four-minute stretch to open the night, before Rams sophomore
Michael Notias's (Manhasset, N.Y.) perimeter jumper capped a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to one with 13 minutes left in the first period. FSC was able to tie the score at 26 when Davis knocked down a jumper with 2:38 left, the Golden Eagles carried a 34-26 lead into the break after scoring eight-straight points to close the half.
Hurowitz (16 pts., 7-of-9 FT, three steals, six rebounds) pulled Farmingdale State to within 41-34 five minutes into second-half action, before St. Joseph's ripped off a 7-0 spurt to go ahead by 14 with under 12 minutes left. From there, the Rams went on their furious run to put themselves in a position to win on Davis's free throws in the final seconds of play.
Farmingdale State registered a 20-of-25 (.800) display at the charity stripe on the night, while converting 14 turnovers by St. Joseph's into 16 points. The Rams also took advantage of getting down the court in transition, as they held a 20-1 edge on the night in fast-break points. Senior point guard
Jevon Santos (Elmont, N.Y.) netted 10 points in the victory, while Powell and Notias posted team-highs of eight rebounds and three assists, respectively.
Head coach
Brendan Twomey's FSC side is back in Skyline play Saturday (Dec. 9), when it welcomes SUNY Old Westbury for a 2 p.m. tip. The Rams will play host to their annual CYO Day at 11:45 that morning, while all in attendance are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys and books to support the Farmingdale State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's annual Toys for Tots drive.
