Rams Fall to Mount Saint Mary in Skyline Championship

Mount Saint Mary - 86, Farmingdale State - 56

NEWBURGH, NY – Led by 24 points from the Skyline Tournament’s most valuable player, junior Meredith Paggi (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), the Mount Saint Mary College women’s basketball team defeated Farmingdale State College, 86-56, for their tenth consecutive Skyline Conference championship. The Blue Knights improved to 23-4 overall and advanced to their tenth straight NCAA Tournament. The Rams dropped to 17-9 overall.

With the Blue Knights leading 38-31 with 16:05 to play in the game, Paggi took over. She nailed a three-pointer at the 15:50 mark to extend the lead to ten and then hit a breakaway layup on the next possession for a twelve point advantage. After a Farmingdale miss, Paggi knocked down another triple to make it fifteen and then hit another layup to extend it to seventeen. Junior Jess Tice (Altamont, N.Y.) followed the ten consecutive points from Paggi with a three-point play, capping a 13-0 run that made the score 51-31 with 13:46 to play.

The Rams pulled back to within fifteen points near the eleven minute mark, but wouldn’t get any closer for the rest of the way. The game got out of hand at the 1:32 mark when the Mount scored nine points during a single trip. Tice made a layup and was fouled, the fifth foul for Farmingdale junior Kamaya Miller (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Miller received a technical foul on her way out of the game, sending junior Chrissy Zrowka (Brick, N.Y.) to the line for a pair of free throws. Then, the Farmingdale assistant coach received a pair of technical fouls, allowing Zrowka to convert four more attempts from the line. Finally, Tice completed her three-point play with a free throw, the ninth point of the possession.

A closely contested first half featured six ties and nine lead changes, but it was Mount Saint Mary who used a late surge to take an eight point advantage into the locker room. Up by one at the two minute mark, the Blue Knights closed the half on a 7-0 run to make the halftime score, 34-26. Junior Shannon Sangster (Syracuse, N.Y.) kicked off the run with a layup at the 1:54 mark and freshman Amanda Horvers (Kingston, N.Y.) ended the half with a big three-pointer.

Paggi led all scorers with 24 points while shooting 10-for-22 from the field. Sangster closed with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting and also collected 9 rebounds. Zrowka filled out the stat sheet with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and a game-high 9 assists. Tice also put in a strong effort, tallying 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots.

Farmingdale junior Kimberly Blakney (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, but shot just 5-for-24 from the field. Miller totaled 15 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the closing minutes. The Rams shot just 26.8-percent for the game and were 3-for-21 from behind the arc.

Mount Saint Mary, the second-ranked team in the NCAA Atlantic Region, awaits their first-round opponent and destination in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament field will be released during the morning of Monday, March 2.

*Story written by Mount Saint Mary Sports Information Office

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