Bronx, N.Y. – After grabbing a quick lead at halftime, the Lehman College men's basketball roared out scoring 10 of the first 12 points in the second and never trailed the rest of the way as they defeated Farmingdale State College, 76-70, in their home opener Tuesday night at the APEX Main Gym.
The Lightning (2-2) returned to .500 thanks to a game-high 21 points from Damian Bellamy along with five rebounds in just 22 minutes of play. Edwin Pasquale netted 20 points, including four three-pointers, to go with five boards and two assists.
Also in the win, Andrew Utate posted a 15-point, eight-rebound effort while John Brens had a great all-around game of eight points, five rebounds and a team-best five assists.
Farmingdale (1-2) were led by George Riefenstahl's double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Trey Kinard chipped in with 14 points.
Lehman won the game inside the paint, scoring 36 points in the paint to the Rams' 26. They also forced Farmingdale to commit 20 turnovers, and then were able to convert those into 27 points off those mishaps. They were the better shooting squad, connecting on 44.3% overall (27-for-61).
The first half saw the teams trade the lead nine times, as the Rams connected on five three-pointers in the half to gain the early edge. They allowed 10 offensive rebounds, and saw Riefenstahl pour in 12 first-half points. After Farmingdale hit a three with 52 seconds left in the half, the Lightning got two buckets from Bellamy including a jumper with two seconds to close out the half to send them into the locker room up 36-35.
In the second, Lehman erupted with an 8-0 run in the first 2:08 with six Utate points as they pushed their lead to nine. Bellamy and Utate helped extend their lead to double figures and led by as many as 12. Farmingdale would chip away and get within three points with 5:11 remaining, but free throws from Bellamy and an Astrit Krasniqi jumper gave Lehman a cushion. Free throws were made down the stretch as they held on for the victory.
The Lightning return to action next Tuesday November 29th as they face off with CUNYAC foe CCNY at the APEX Main Gym as part of a doubleheader with the women's team. Tip time for the game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.