Baruch 73, Farmingdale State 72
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Farmingdale State College men's basketball team nearly overcame a 25-point first-half deficit Wednesday night against Baruch College, but the visiting Bearcats used a free throw with 3.5 seconds remaining to record a 73-72 win over the Rams.
Baruch (2-3) scored 22 of the first 26 points of the game, extending its lead to 42-17 with 3:07 left in the first half. FSC (1-2) followed with a 3-point field goal on the left wing by senior point guard
Jevon Santos (Elmont, N.Y.) in its next trip down the floor, sparking a 9-2 run to close the half and pull to within a 44-26 margin at the break.
In the second half, the Rams began to chip away at the Bearcats' double-digit lead, and used eight-straight points over a 1:42 span to slice the margin to 53-48 on a trifecta by junior guard
Sean Conroy (Staten Island, N.Y.) with 10:43 on the clock. Later, Conroy started a 9-2 spread by the hosts with a step-back jumper at the 5:46 mark, before his triple off an assist by Santos gave Farmingdale State its first lead of the night, 66-65, with 4:13 to go. Neither team led by more than two points the rest of the way, including with 1:23 left when Rams senior forward
Hamdel Mohammed (Bronx, N.Y.) converted a put-back layup to push his team ahead, 72-70. The Bearcats knotted the score at 72-all with a pair of free throws at the 1:05 mark, before a single make at the charity stripe gave the visitors a one-point edge with 3.5 seconds remaining. Farmingdale State's last-ditch effort after a series of time outs was a left-side 3-pointer, which was blocked away by the Baruch defense.
Junior guard
Michael Notias (Manhasset, N.Y.) scored 17 of his game and career-high 21 points in the second half for FSC, while Conroy and Santos finished with 13 and 10, respectively. Mohammed (team-best 12 rebounds, one blocked shot) and freshman
Jordan Tucker (Elmont, N.Y.) chipped in with seven points apiece, with junior guard
Robbie Siechen (Syracuse, N.Y.) adding five and a career-high three steals. The Rams held a 48-44 advantage in rebounding, and converted 21 offensive boards into 28 second-chance points.
The Rams' three-game homestand will continue Saturday afternoon, when they play host to New Jersey City University in a 2:30 p.m. matinee.
