Mount Saint Mary - 70, Farmingdale State - 61

Newburgh, N.Y. – The Farmingdale State men's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 70-61 loss to Mount Saint Mary College this afternoon in Newburgh, N.Y. The Rams (18-7, 14-4 Skyline) will serve as the fourth seed in next week's conference tournament, while the Knights (18-7, 14-4 Skyline) grab the third seed. 

Farmingdale State led 6-2 to start the first, but Mount Saint Mary grabbed the lead with a 6-0 run and would not look back. The Knights held a 37-21 advantage at the break, capping off the half with a 7-0 run.

In the second, Mount Saint Mary pushed the lead to as many as 17, but the Rams closed to within eight after a 9-0 run with 8:38 left to play. Senior AJ Matthews (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made one-of-two at the line with 5:23 remaining, cutting the Rams deficit to five, 52-47.

Senior Lenny Ragaglia (Staten Island, N.Y.) responded with a long ball to push the Knights' lead back to eight. The basket sparked an 8-0 run for MSMC, capped by another Ragaglia three at the 3:24 mark to make it 60-47. The Rams would get no closer than nine over the game's final minutes, allowing the Mount to claim the victory.

For the Knights, Howell finished with a team-high 15 points, while junior Joe Henain (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) added 14 points and nine rebounds. Ragaglia hit on 4-of-8 from downtown for 12 points and junior Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) also reached double figures with 11.

Matthews recorded 19 points for Farmingdale State, all in the second half, while adding a game-high 16 rebounds. Sophomore Justin Bailey (Jamaica, N.Y.) and senior Christian Nunez (White Plains, N.Y.) each finished with 10 points.

The Rams will now host fifth-seeded Sage in the Skyline quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 19th. Mount Saint Mary will host sixth-seeded Yeshiva University.

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