Farmingdale, NY—The Sage College's women's basketball team travelled to Farmingdale State College on Saturday for the Skyline Conference regular-season finale. The host Rams posted the 72-63 win to go undefeated in the league this season and garner the top seed in the upcoming tournament. The Rams stand at 18-7 overall and went 12-0 in the league. Sage's record win streak comes to an end at 12 games as the Gators drop to 18-6 overall and went 9-3 in the conference.
Sage has garnered the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Skyline Conference Tournament and will face No. 2 seeded College of Mt. St. Vincent on Thursday, February 26 on the road with a game time to be determined.
Link to Skyline Tournament release
Senior guard Megan Bowman (Dannemora, NY/Saranac) finished with 12 points in the action and handed out 12 assists with two steals and six rebounds. She now has 1,050 career points as a Gator. Also the program's all-time leader in assists, she now has 451, while standing No. 2 in career steals with 253.
Senior guard Lea McClain (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen) added nine points, while sophomore Krystyn Knockwood (Troy, NY/Troy) and senior Carlee Hirt (Beacon, NY/ John Jay) each added 11 points in the action. Senior Sara Tironi (Cambridge, NY/Cambridge Central) led the team on the boards with 12 rebounds and chipped in with nine points.
Leading 21-16 with 8:36 left to play in the first half, the Rams (17-8, 12-0) used an 8-0 run which saw six points by Marlaina Sherman (Miller Place, N.Y.) to extend their advantage to 29-16. The Gators (18-6, 9-3) answered with eight unanswered points to cut the deficit back to five, 29-24, with 3:24 remaining.
After a Lanteri jumper and Charnae Jenkins (Rockville Centre, NY) 3-pointer, Andrea Desvignes (Deer Park, N.Y.) closed the half with a jump shot to give Farmingdale State a 36-24 halftime lead.
Sage quickly closed within seven after the break, but the Rams responded with a 10-0 run to open up their largest lead of the game, 48-31.
Trailing 52-38 with 13:04 left on the clock, the Gators used a layup by Hirt and a Krysta Vanacore (Poughquag, N.Y.) 3 to pull within 11, 52-41.
A Lanteri layup with 4:15 remaining gave Farmingdale State a 14-point edge until an 10-2 Sage run over the next 3:05 cut the deficit to 67-61.
The Rams converted 5-of-6 at the free-throw line over the final 34 seconds to seal the victory and earn their 11th consecutive win.
Desvignes finished with a game-high 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Sherman collected a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards to go along with her single-game school record tying six blocks. Lanteri tallied 13 points and junior forward Nailah Cherry (Roosevelt, N.Y.) had 10 points, three blocks and a game-high five steals.
