Farmingdale State - 57, Old Westbury - 56
Farmingdale, N.Y. - In the first game at the newly renovated Nold Hall Athletic Complex, the Farmingdale State men's basketball team edged Old Westbury, 57-56, in Skyline Conference action this afternoon.
Tied 14-14 with 8:30 remaining in the first half, Old Westbury (5-7, 2-2) used a Jamail Stanley (Syracuse, N.Y.) dunk and a layup from Luckens Victor (Westbury, N.Y.) to take a four-point advantage. After the Panthers extended the lead to 23-16, Farmingdale State (7-5, 3-0) closed the half on a 6-0 run to go into the break trailing, 23-22.
With 16:37 left to play and FSC on top 30-27, sophomore guard Matthew Graham (Valley Stream, N.Y.) hit a 3 and sophomore forward George Riefenstahl (Bayport, N.Y.) followed with a layup to increase the advantage to 35-27.
After a Ryan Kennedy (Maspeth, N.Y.) 3-pointer with 10:08 remaining gave Farmingdale State a 10-point lead, Old Westbury answered with an 8-0 run to close within two, 43-41.
The Rams used an Ali Mableton (Brentwood, N.Y.) layup with 3:07 left in the game to go on top, 54-48, until a Lylle Ryals (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.) layup and Terrin Roland (Jamaica, N.Y.) 3-pointer on OW's next two possessions brought the Panthers back within one, 54-53.
With 24 seconds remaining, Graham converted 1-of-2 at the line to put FSC ahead, 55-53. After a missed 3-pointer by Old Westbury, Graham was fouled and hit both free-throws to extend the lead to 57-53. Stanley answered by connecting on a 3-pointer with three seconds left but the Rams were able to run out the clock and hold on for the 57-56 victory.
Riefenstahl tallied a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Graham scored a game-high 15 points. Mableton added 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and senior forward Weldon Irvine* (Queens, N.Y.) grabbed a game-high 13 boards for FSC.
The Panthers were led by Stanley who had 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
Prior to today's game, the FSC coaching staff and players hosted a CYO clinic for basketball teams from Maria Regina, St. Killian's and St. Martin's. The National Anthem was sung by sophomore track & field student-athlete Tunisia Solomon.
The Rams next will travel to St. Joseph's-LI for a Skyline Conference game on Wednesday, January 11th at 7:00 p.m.