Box Score Farmingdale State - 48, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy - 45

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Farmingdale State College women's basketball team clinched the sixth and final spot in next week's Skyline Conference Championship, with a 48-45 win on Senior Day against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday afternoon.

The Rams (11-14, 9-11 Skyline) will play in the first round Tuesday night at third-seeded University of Mount Saint Vincent, with tip-off slated for 6 p.m.

Prior to the contest, head coach Mark Dellecave's FSC team honored seniors Autumn Barnes (Middle Island, N.Y.), Emily Pohalski (Huntington, N.Y.) and Layla Mendoza (Westhampton Beach, N.Y.) for their dedication to the program.

The visiting Mariners (18-7, 14-6 Skyline) scored eight of the first 11 points of the game, and led by a 12-6 margin on a layup with 4:29 left in the first period. From there, the Rams (11-14, 9-11 Skyline) ripped off an 11-0 run, with junior guard Isabella Greenwald (W. Islip, N.Y.) starting the spurt with a 3-pointer and capping it with a free throw with 1:04 remaining in helping her team to a 17-14 lead heading into the second quarter.

Sophomore Victoria Kantzian (Staten Island, N.Y.) canned a pair of free throws before a pair of driving layups by freshman guard Mia Simmons (Jamaica, N.Y.) to open the second quarter with a 23-14 edge. USMMA did not find the scoresheet until making a jump shot with 5:21 to go in the frame, with FSC sophomore Adrianna Romo-Leroux (Selden, N.Y.) responding with five-straight points as the start of a half-ending 9-2 spread to go into the break with a 32-18 advantage.

The teams mostly traded baskets in the third quarter, with Mendoza's old-fashioned 3-point play with 3:26 left and Kantzian's jumper with 1:41 showing providing a 5-0 run for the Rams -- who led 44-29 at the end of the period.

USMMA switched into a 1-3-1 zone defense for the majority of the fourth quarter and stymied the Rams during an 11-0 run, cutting the visitors' deficit to 44-39 with 4:44 on the clock. Sophomore Romo-Leroux knocked down a 3-pointer off an assist from freshman forward Taneece Wooden (Freeport, N.Y.) in Farmingdale State's next trip down the court to extend the lead back to eight, before the Mariners collected the next six points of the contest to pull to within a 47-45 count with 35 seconds to go. After junior Gemma Pohalski (Huntington, N.Y.) pulled down an offensive rebound of her own miss with 10.5 seconds remaining, Mendoza knocked down one of two at the charity stripe to push the Rams' lead back to three. USMMA's right-side 3-point attempt was off the mark, giving FSC the win and a spot in the conference championship.

Wooden (Freeport, N.Y.) finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards, with Mendoza registering 10 points and three steals. Gemma Pohalski (Huntington, N.Y.) contributed seven points, a team-high 14 rebounds and five assists in the triumph, while Romo-Leroux scored eight points off the bench -- including a 2-for-4 effort from long range.