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ALBANY, NY – Guard Andre Robinson scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and sophomore Marcus Patterson scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half as top-seeded Sage secured its first Skyline Men’s Basketball Championship in program history with an 84-70 win over No. 2 St. Joseph’s-L.I. on Saturday before a raucous crowd at Kahl Gym.
Making their first-ever appearance in the finals, the Gators (23-4) improved to 13-0 at home at will represent the Skyline when the field for the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is announced at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 2.
Sage jumped out to an early 10-2 lead at the 16:57 mark of the opening half on consecutive three-pointers by junior guard Jorrdan McCray. The Gators extended their lead to 31-19 as junior forward Melvin Ford poured in four straight points. However, the Golden Eagles (17-10) ended the half on an 8-2 run to close to within 33-27 at the intermission on a layup by senior guard Nick Gallina in the waning seconds of the half.
Patterson then sparked Sage in the second half as he scored seven straight points and finished the afternoon with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Robinson shot a blistering 12-of-14 from the foul line and added five assists en route to being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship. McCray added 15 points and Ford chipped in 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. The Gators shot 50 percent from the field (24-of-48) and held a 45-30 rebounding edge on the afternoon.
Making its first appearance in the Skyline finals since 2011 and seeking its first league crown since 2009, St. Joseph’s-L.I. was led by forward Sean McCarthy. The senior from Kings Park, N.Y., poured in a game-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Sophomore Andy Laurent added 19 points, while forward Fernando Vazquez chipped in 15 points and three assists. The Golden Eagles drained 13 three-pointers on the afternoon and added nine steals.
2015 Skyline Men's Basketball Championship
Finals - Saturday, Feb. 28
Sage 84, St. Joseph's-L.I. 70
Semifinals - Thursday, Feb. 26
No. 1 Sage 92, Old Westbury 74 - BOX SCORE / RECAP
No. 2 St. Joseph's-L.I. 58, Mount Saint Vincent 41 - BOX SCORE / RECAP
First Round - Tuesday, Feb. 24
No. 3 Mount Saint Vincent 61, No. 6 Purchase 45 - BOX SCORE / RECAP
No. 4 Old Westbury 82, No. 5 Yeshiva 70 - BOX SCORE / RECAP