NEWBURGH, N.Y. - Buoyed by a gutsy performance from freshman Dylan McCann (Staten Island, N.Y.), Mount Saint Mary College defeated Bard College, 66-47, in Skyline Conference action on Tuesday night.  The Blue Knights moved to 9-12 overall and back to even in the Skyline at 8-8, while the Raptors dropped to 2-20 overall (2-15 Skyline).

Initially ruled out of the game with an injury, McCann was pressed into action when junior Matt Weinberger (Washingtonville, N.Y.) went down just five minutes in.  With freshman point guard Eric Boesch (Kingston, N.Y.) already on the shelf with an injury, McCann was the only option for the ball-handling starved Blue Knights.  The Staten Island native responded with an excellent effort, hobbling his way to 8 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds while guiding the Mount to a much-needed conference win.

Weinberger had gotten the Blue Knights off to a hot start, dishing out three assists during an opening 14-0 run.  Sophomore Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.) had eight points during the stretch, twice finishing off plays on the offensive glass.

Bard would close to within seven on a three-pointer from senior Justin White (New York, N.Y.) at the 8:43 mark of the first half, but it would be as close as the Raptors would get.  Mount Saint Mary closed the half on a 7-0 run and led, 34-16, at the break.  The Blue Knights pushed the lead to as many as 26 in the second half before settling in for the 19-point win.

Mount Saint Mary freshman Lenny Ragaglia (Staten Island, N.Y.) led all scorers with 15 points, while Milella pitched in with 14 points.  Sophomore Carlos Valdez (Slate Hill, N.Y.) filled out the stat sheet with 10 points, 13 boards, 5 assists, and 5 blocks.  Junior Tim Morris (Greenwich, N.Y.) also played well and finished with 11 points to go along with 8 rebounds.

White was the only Raptor to reach double figures and finished with 12 points.  It was an off night for the second-leading scorer in the Skyline, however, as he made just 4-of-21 attempts from the field.  He did find his teammates for 6 assists.

Beyond White, it was a tough shooting night for the rest of the Bard lineup as well.  The Raptors connected on just 24-percent of their shots in the first half and finished the game at only 31-percent.  Mount Saint Mary shot 46-percent and owned a 42-32 advantage on the boards.

Mount Saint Mary faces a must-win game on the road at NYU-Poly on Thursday.  They'll need a victory to stay alive in the hunt for the Skyline Conference playoffs.  Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. on February 11.