Pitt-Bradford - 74, Farmingdale State - 73

Reading, Pa. - The Farmingdale State men's basketball team fell to Pitt-Bradford, 74-73, on a final second shot in the opening round of the Albright Tournament on Sunday, December 29th. With two seconds remaining on the clock and the Panthers trailing by one point, Pitt-Bradford's Eric Matheson grabbed a rebound off senior center Donald Lawes (Queens, N.Y.) blocked shot and made the put back to steal the non-conference win from the Rams (5-4).

Over the first ten minutes neither team would lead by more than four points, before a 12-0 run gave Farmingdale State a 28-18 advantage with 7:06 left in the half. The Rams led by as much as 14 and held the 10-point lead at the break, shooting 51-percent while holding Pitt-Bradford to 31-percent from the field.

In the second, the Panthers made a run at the 16-minute mark, using an 8-0 run capped off by a Manny Welch three-pointer to cut the deficit to 49-48. Four straight points by Rams senior guard Jonathan Annan (Staten Island, N.Y.), two free-throws by Lawes and a three-ball from senior guard Timothy Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) would give Farmingdale State back a nine-point edge with 10:30 remaining to play.

Pitt-Bradford kept shooting, knocking down a three with 58 seconds on the clock and trailed 72-69. After a Rams turnover, senior Brandon McClester made a layup and free throw to tie the game at 72.

Farmingdale State senior guard Terence Henderson (Bronx, N.Y.) was fouled with 23 seconds remaining and sank 1-of-2 from the line to give his team a 73-72 lead. On Pitt-Bradford's final possession, Lawes blocked a Manny Welch layup but the rebound went directly to Matheson who banked in the game-winner with 0.8 seconds left for the win.

Pitt-Bradford had four players in double figures. McClester and junior Tyler Fantaskey each finished with a team-high 14 points. Junior Keith Burgess finished with 12 points and five rebounds, and junior Lucas Pichette totaled 11 points, eight rebounds and one assist.

For the Rams, Lawes finished with game-highs of 21 points (9-of-10 from the field), eight rebounds and five blocks. Henderson tallied 19 points and five assists, while Annan scored nine points. Sophomore guard Wilson Molina (Queens, N.Y.) dished out five assists to add to his six points.

Farmingdale State will now face York College tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in the consolation round of the Tournament.

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