PATCHOGUE, NY – For the second time this season, the Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team played a well-contested game against St. Joseph's College. For the second time this season, the Golden Eagles prevailed, this time taking an 86-77 decision over the Blue Knights in Skyline Conference action. St. Joseph's improved to 20-3 overall and to 14-2 in the conference while the Mount dropped to 5-18 overall and to 5-11 in league play.

After the Blue Knights seized an early one-point lead with a three-pointer from senior Alex Kuchar (Rutherford, N.J.), the Golden Eagles ripped off nine consecutive points and led 13-5 just three and a half minutes in. St. Joseph's would continue to lead for the rest of the half and went to the locker room with a 44-38 advantage.

Both teams scored just two points in the opening three minutes of the second half. Mount Saint Mary junior Chris Kingly (Washingtonville, N.Y.) finally broke the scoring drought with a three-pointer at the 16:24 mark that made the score 46-43. After a defensive stop at the other end, senior Chris Harrison (Baldwin, N.Y.) completed a three-point play to tie the score at 46. St. Joseph's senior David Acree (Brentwood, N.Y.) answered immediately with a triple and the Golden Eagles pulled away with a 6-0 run just a minute later.

The Blue Knights closed to within four on two occasions down the stretch, but couldn't get any closer. Down five with 43 seconds to play, a three-point attempt from Kuchar was off the mark and the Mount was forced to foul. The Golden Eagles took care of their free throws to close out the Mount.

Mount Saint Mary freshman Carlos Valdez (Slate Hill, N.Y.) led the Blue Knights with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Sophomore Matt Weinberger (Washingtonville, N.Y.) closed with 16 points and 6 assists, while Harrison totaled 11 points and 8 boards. The Blue Knights shot 45-percent for the game and connected on 6-of-12 attempts from behind the arc.

St. Joseph's senior J.J. Walsh (Brentwood, N.Y.) led all scorers with 27 points and also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Acree chipped in with 17 points for the Golden Eagles.

Up next for the Mount is a road trip to Yeshiva University. The game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18.