Albany, NY-- The Sage Colleges' men's basketball team hosted Farmingdale State College on Saturday afternoon in the Kahl Gym in a Skyline Conference contest. The Rams rallied from a 20 point deficit to post the 64-60 win on Saturday and improve to 13-5 overall and 9-2 in the conference. The loss puts the Gators at 8-10 overall and 3-8 in the Skyline Conference.
Sage held a 38-22 lead at the break and held the Rams to a 25.9% shooting performance from the floor (7-27). The Gators never trailed in the first half and went on a 15-0 run after the game was knotted at 20-20 at the 6:48 mark. The Gators opened the second half strong and held a 20-point lead, 42-22 at the 18:14 mark. Slowing FSC scratched back into the game and took their first lead of the second half and the game at the 4:56 mark (54-53).
Pacing the team in the second half was junior guard Terence Henderson (Bronx, NY/Wadleigh) with 12 points. He finished with 12 points, all in the second half and shot a blistering 6-8 from the floor to help the Rams overcome the large deficit.
In the final minute and half of play, the team exchanged points and baskets and the action was last tied at 60 apiece with 1:06 as Sage's junior Jeff Stopera (Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville) hit a pair to tie the action.
FSC's senior forward AJ Matthews (Brooklyn, NY/Van Arsdale) made one of two free attempts at 0:43 to put FSC up 61-60. A foul by Sage sent senior guard Ryan Davis (Flushing, NY/Bayside) to the line and he made the first of two free throws, giving his team a 62-60 lead with 0:15 left.
A key Sage turnover and subsequent foul sent Davis back to the free throw line at 0:11 and he promptly sunk the pair to give his squad the 64-60 lead, a score that would stand after a missed Sage attempt was hauled in by FSC.
For the game, Matthews led all scorers with his 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Davis finished with 14 points. Henderson finished with 12 points as the only other FSC player in double-digits in the action.
Sage's senior forward Matt Farbotko (Rouses Point, NY/Northeastern Clinton) had a team-best 14 points, while junior Mason Horne (Albany, NY/LaSalle Institute) had 12 points. Sage's senior center Ryan Sager (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) and rookie Melvin Ford (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) each tallied 11 points and seven rebounds for the Gators.
Sage returns to action on Tuesday, January 29 when they host NYU-Poly in a Skyline Conference game at Kahl Gym at 8 p.m. Next up for Farmingdale State College is an 8 p.m. league match-up also with NYU-Poly on Thursday, January 31.
