FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - Seeking their eleventh consecutive Skyline Conference championship, the Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team came up short on Sunday, falling to Farmingdale State College, 67-58. For the Rams (25-1), the championship is the first in program history and they will receive the Skyline Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Farmingdale fell behind early and trailed 23-14 midway through the first half. A 7-0 run over the next 5:05 pulled the Rams within one point at 23-22, but the Knights answered with six straight points and took a 29-22 advantage into halftime.
The Knights still led 53-50 with 5:33 remaining, but Farmingdale senior Kimberly Blakney (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored on a layup and converted at the free-throw line after being fouled. The Rams forced a turnover on the next possession and senior guard Juanita Chappel (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit one-of-two free-throws, giving Farmingdale their first lead of the game at 54-53.
The Rams trailed 57-56 with less than two minutes to play, before senior guard Kamaya Miller (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit a jumper to regain the lead. Following a missed shot by the Knights, Blakney made one-of-two at the line to give the Rams a 59-57 edge with 1:37 left on the clock.
Mount Saint Mary was fouled on their next trip down the floor, but missed both free-throws. Farmingdale increased the lead to four (61-57) as junior Janel Monah (Westbury, N.Y.) hit a long bank shot with two seconds remaining on the shot-clock and 48 seconds left in regulation. The Rams converted at the line over the final 30 seconds, earning the 67-58 win and the program's first-ever Skyline Conference title.
Blakney, who was named the championship MVP, led Farmingdale with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 3 steals. Miller scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Chappel pitched in with 11 points. Senior guard Tiffara Steward (Elmont, N.Y.) scored 10, shooting 4-for-8 from the field for the Rams.
Mount Saint Mary was led by senior forward
Shannon Sangster (Syracuse, N.Y.) who scored a team-high 12 points. Junior forward
Jess Tice (Altamont, N.Y.) tallied 11 in the loss for the Knights.
The NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee will release the bracket and listings of teams that have been selected for the tournament during tomorrow's selection show. The bracket will be unveiled starting at 12:30 p.m. at www.NCAA.com.