Patchogue, N.Y. - Sophomore Mike Crisci (King's Park, N.Y.) came off the bench to shoot 10-of-15 from the field and score 23 points for St. Joseph's College as they defeated Mount Saint Mary College, 80-66, in Skyline Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday night. The first place Golden Eagles moved to 8-1 inside the conference and 12-3 overall while the Blue Knights tumbled to 8-8 overall and 5-4 in the Skyline. The loss was their third in a row and the fifth in their last six games.

With the score tied at 37 to begin the second half, St. Joseph's opened with the first five points as freshman Matt Weeks (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) drilled a three-pointer and then hit another jumper from inside the arc. Mount Saint Mary junior Dave Canazon (Middletown, N.Y.) got the Blue Knights on the board in the second half with a jumper and then freshman Tim Morris (Greenwich, N.Y.) closed the gap back to one with a pair of free throws. Freshman Matt Weinberger (Washingtonville, N.Y.) got a steal on the next St. Joe's possession and his lay-up capped a 6-0 run that put the Blue Knights on top, 43-42.

After Crisci and Canazon exchanged three-pointers, junior Chris Niblock (Bayport, N.Y.) put the Golden Eagles back on top with a jumper from inside the paint. Weinberger knocked home a two-pointer for the Blue Knights with 14:37 remaining to give them a 48-47 advantage and what would turn out to be their last lead of the night. Niblock and Crisci would combine for the next nine points, sparking a 23-8 run that put the Golden Eagles firmly in front (70-56) with under seven minutes to play. Crisci had nine points during the run and junior David Acree (Brentwood, N.Y.) pitched in five points as St. Joseph's put the game away.

Crisci really came on in the second half, hitting 6-of-7 from the field and two from behind the arc for 14 points in the period. He finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Niblock did a nice job on the glass for the Golden Eagles, pulling down 13 rebounds, and completed his double-double with 14 points.

MSMC junior Alex Kuchar (Rutherford, N.J.) led the Blue Knights with 18 points, hitting three-of-five attempts from behind the arc. He struggled from shorter range, however, hitting only 4-of-13 on shots from two-point territory. Morris finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Canazon scored an economical 13 points with a 6-for-9 shooting performance. Junior Chris Harrison (Baldwin, N.Y.) led the Mount with 12 rebounds but only found his way to 2 points on 1-of-8 shooting.

Mount Saint Mary's shooting woes continued, especially in the second half. The Blue Knights shot just 34.4-percent in the final twenty minutes and completed the game making only 26-of-68 (38.2-percent) attempts from the field. St. Joseph's was 32-for-65 (49.2-percent).

Things won't get any easier for the Mount as they head to Old Westbury for their next game. The Panthers defeated the Blue Knights earlier this season, 65-63, with a bucket in the final ten seconds. The game on Saturday, January 26 will tip at 4:00 p.m. following the conclusion of the women's game that begins at 2:00 p.m. Also on Saturday, St. Joseph's road trips to Maritime where they will take on the Privateers beginning at 4:00 p.m.