FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - Senior Brian Noone led four players in double figures as the Union College men's basketball team went into the holiday break with a hard-fought 74-71 win over Farmingdale State College on Tuesday night.
In a game that saw neither team lead by more than two possessions, Union (1-8) did not take its first lead of the second half until 4:23 remained in the contest, when Noone hit a three-pointer to cap a personal 6-0 run that made the score 66-64. The senior scored Union's next four points from the charity stripe to keep Union ahead entering the final minute, and junior Edward Baptiste hit a critical layup with 57 ticks remaining to bump the lead back up to three at 72-69.
After the teams traded turnovers, Farmingdale State (7-2) got back within one with 10 seconds on the clock, but senior Chris Lovisolo hit two shots from the free-throw line with five seconds left. The visitors then gave a foul in the backcourt to prevent a three-point chance and help seal the victory.
Noone finished the game with a team-high 18 points and six rebounds, scoring 14 of those points in the final 20 minutes. Baptiste was nearly perfect from the field, hitting 8-of-9 shots (including all six in the second half) to finish with a career-high-tying 16 points. Lovisolo chipped in 12 points and a game-high seven rebounds in his season debut, while fellow senior Mike Concannon added 10 points off the bench.
Corey Powell paced Farmingdale State with a game-high 20 points, followed by Jevon Santos with 18 points and Nick Hurowitz with 14 points and a team-best seven boards.
The Rams led by as many as six points midway through the first half and led for most of the frame, but an 8-0 run gave Union back the lead with 6:08 left in the period. The visitors led by as many as six points as well in the frame after a Lovisolo bucket with 4:10 on the clock, but Farmingdale took a late lead and remained in front for much of the second stanza until Union's late comeback.
Union finished the game shooting 43.5 percent (27 of 62) from the field and hit its first 11 free throws on the way to a 13-of-16 effort from the stripe. The visitors limited Farmingdale State to 39.7 percent (25 of 63) shooting, including a 3-of-20 effort from long range.
After taking some time off for the holiday break, Union will close out 2022 on Friday, December 30 at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Riverdale.
