NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Boosted by 16 points in the first half by freshman Lenny Ragaglia (Staten Island, N.Y.) and 14 points in the second half by junior Matt Weinberger (Washingtonville, N.Y.), the Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team defeated the Polytechnic Institute of NYU on Thursday night, 77-63. The Blue Knights improved to 6-8 overall (5-4 Skyline), while the Blue Jays fell to 3-9 (1-6 Skyline).

Ragaglia provided a much-needed spark in the final minutes of the first half. With the Blue Knights leading 25-21 with under five minutes to play, Ragaglia scored the next eight points for the Mount, staking them to a 33-23 advantage. Mount Saint Mary possessed a 37-25 lead at the half.

With NYU-Poly emphasizing the defense on Ragaglia, Weinberger came on in the second half. The junior point guard shot 5-of-7 from the field in the final twenty minutes and finished with 14 second-half points.

A comfortable 16-point lead for the Blue Knights quickly became a seven-point advantage, as NYU-Poly ripped off a 9-0 run to close to within 66-59 at the five minute mark. Weinberger put away all thoughts of a comeback by answering with the next four points, allowing the Mount to ease their way to the victory.

Ragaglia finished with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Weinberger totaled 14 points and 6 rebounds to go along with 3 assists and 3 steals. Junior Tim Morris (Greenwich, N.Y.) continued his strong play with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The Blue Knights also received nice contributions from freshmen Eric Boesch (Kingston, N.Y.) and Chris Frey (Old Brookville, N.Y.). Boesch knocked down a pair of triples in the first half and played well defensively. Frey's offensive rebound, layup, and steal on the ensuing possession with two minutes remaining put the game on ice.

Junior Anthony Mattola (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored a game-high 23 points for NYU-Poly. Junior Jason Buckner (Littleton, Colo.) also played well for the Blue Jays, pouring in 19 points and grabbing 6 boards. Sophomore Alexander Westphal (Port Washington, Wis.) blocked four shots and also chipped in with 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Back above the .500 mark in Skyline play, Mount Saint Mary will head to Farmingdale State College on Saturday. The tip is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., following the women's game.





Photos provided by Nihal Mahawaduge.