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 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 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 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 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 scored 10, shooting 4-for-8 from the field for the Rams.
Mount Saint Mary was led by senior forward Shannon Sangster who scored a team-high 12 points. Junior forward Jess Tice tallied 11 in the loss for the Knights.
