MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Trailing by 11 with 8:47 remaining, the Wesleyan men's basketball team took a lead with under four minutes to go, only to see the Rams get a crucial putback score in the final minute that proved enough for Farmingdale State to prevail 80-75 over the Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. Wesleyan (1-4) has lost four straight while the Rams (4-1) have won four straight.
 
The game was decided in the final minute as Wesleyan trailed 76-75 with 46 ticks left. The Rams' Jevon Santos drove the lane and just as his attempt was denied by Fritz Hauser '26, Tre Riggins was in the right place at the right time as the rebound fell right to him and with no Cardinal left to defend the rim, it was an easy putback score for Riggins.
 
With the Rams now up three, Nicky Johnson '25 drove the lane looking for a quick two but the sophomore point guard saw his floater bounce off the rim and out. Nick Hurowitz secured the rebound and hit two free throws with 15 seconds left as the Rams now led by five. One last attempt for the Cardinals, a Gabe Ravetz '23 three in transition, went begging and the game ended moments later with Farmingdale State taking the victory.
 
In a game largely dominated by the Rams, the Cardinals worked their way back after going down double digits with six minutes left in the first half. Farmingdale State shot 47 perfect in the first half and 16-for-26 from two-point range, to build an eight-point halftime lead at 36-28.
 
Farmingdale State continued to hold a comfortable lead, answering every Wesleyan bucket with a score of their own until late on in the second half. With the Rams leading 66-55, Wesleyan scored eight unanswered as the game took a sudden turn with a double technical foul issued to the Rams' Zamere McKenzie. Ravetz hit all four free throws following the double tech, and later Johnson connected on a triple of his own to put the Cardinals behind by just two.
 
Ravetz hit a step back with just under five minutes left and Preston Maccoux '23, in his first game back to the Cardinal lineup this season, hit a floater in traffic as the Cardinals took their first lead of the game since early in the first half. Even with the momentum, the Rams countered with a 6-0 run of their own to suddenly take back a 75-70 lead before the game ended in a final flurry.
 
Ravetz led the Cardinals in scoring with 18 points, going 6-for-11 from the floor in 29 minutes. Johnson came close to a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists but struggled from the floor, going 5-of-17 overall and 1-of-6 from three. Hauser tallied 13 points, providing a nice spark off the bench in his 23 minutes.
 
Four Rams hit double figures in scoring with Nick Hurowitz leading the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Aaron Davis went for 13 points while Santos totaled 11 points and seven assists. Jovayne Walters was the fourth Ram with 10+ points as he finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Corey Powell had a great all-around game with eight points, seven rebounds and five assists.
 
Wesleyan looks to rebound with a Tuesday night non-conference game at Worcester State with a 7:00 PM tip.