Farmingdale State - 79, Cobleskill - 66
Clinton, N.Y. - Farmingdale State shot 50 percent from the floor in the second half to seal a spot in the championship game of the Hamilton College men's basketball Thanksgiving Tournament, with a 79-66 victory over Cobleskill on Saturday afternoon in the opening game. Junior forward AJ Matthews (Brooklyn, N.Y.) posted a game-high 28 points and 16 rebounds for the Rams.
After Cobleskill (0-5) held a 15-11 advantage with 7:33 remaining in the first half, Farmingdale State scored the next 16 points to make it 27-15 with 1:15 left. A dunk by Matthews with just four seconds on the clock gave the Rams a 29-18 lead at the break.
Farmingdale State (3-1) scored the first seven points of the second half, and led by double-digits the rest of the way. The closest the Fighting Tigers got to the Rams in the second half was 12 points.
Matthews was 12-for-15 from the floor. Senior forward Ryan Tierney (Wantagh, N.Y.) and senior guard Dyshaun Flournoy (Brentwood, N.Y.) each chipped in 13 points, and Tierney pulled down 14 rebounds. Junior point guard Ryan Davis (Flushing, N.Y.) led Farmingdale State with six assists, while senior guard Josh Smith (Deer Park, N.Y.) posted a game-high five steals.
Senior Brendan Doherty led the Fighting Tigers with 19 points and a team-high six assists. Senior Clint Foster scored 18 points, and junior Jessie Allison chipped in 11. Sophomore Dustin Van Lieu led the team with six rebounds. Doherty and Foster made five 3-pointers apiece.
Hamilton vs. Berkeley
Five players scored in double figures to lead Hamilton College to an 86-55 win over Berkeley College (N.Y.) in the second game of the Tournament at Margaret Bundy Scott Field House. Hamilton (4-0) and Farmingdale State will now play for the tournament title on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 3:00 p.m., while Cobleskill will take on Berkeley in the consolation game at 1:00 p.m.
Freshman Joseph Lin and senior Pat Sullivan led the Continentals with 12 points each. Lin dished out a game-high six assists, and Sullivan chipped in six rebounds and two steals. Junior Eric Benvenuti scored 11 points, while sophomore Greg Newton and freshman Bradley Gifford added 10 apiece. Gifford led the team with eight rebounds.
Sophomore Jose Stable paced the Knights with a game-high 21 points and 15 rebounds to go along with a team-high three assists. Junior Kaseem Williams added 15 points and a game-high three steals.
There were three ties and eight lead changes through the first 14 minutes, 39 seconds. The Continentals took the lead for good with a 15-3 run to end the half. Benvenuti scored eight points during the spurt, including a 3-pointer with 4:34 remaining to give Hamilton a 23-20 lead. The Continentals led 35-23 at halftime.
Hamilton opened the second half with a 27-6 run and enjoyed its biggest lead of 33 points at 62-29 with 10:51 left. The closest Berkeley (3-3) was able to get the rest of the way was 24 points.
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