Box Score ALBANY, N.Y. – Another Skyline game, another nail-biter for the Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team.  This time, the Knights defeated Sage, 61-60, to improve to 8-4 overall and to 3-2 in the Skyline.  The Gators dropped to 5-6 (1-4 Skyline) with the loss.

When Mount senior Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.) put home a layup with 1:47 remaining, it seemed like the Knights would be in full control with a 61-54 advantage.  However, Sage knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:37 remaining to creep to within five.  Then, after a Mount miss, Sage freshman Michael Gallagher (Schenectady, N.Y.) was fouled following an offensive rebound and made two more free throws to make it 61-58 with one minute remaining.

The Mount missed again at the other end, giving Sage a chance to tie.  A three-pointer from senior Pat Lanoue (Troy, N.Y.) was off the mark with 16 seconds remaining, but the Gators got another possession when a Mount player was the last to touch the rebound before it went out of bounds.  Junior Ryan Sager (Stuyvesant, N.Y.) put home a layup with eight seconds to go, cutting the deficit to just one at 61-60.

Sage fouled Mount sophomore Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.), but Howell missed the front end of the one-and-one and fouled sophomore Mason Horne (Albany, N.Y.) on the rebound.  Horne went to the line for two free throws with 4.4 seconds on the clock.  With a chance to tie or win it for Sage, Horne missed both free throws allowing the Knights to escape with a 61-60 victory.

Leading 32-31 at the break, the Knights trailed for most of the second half until a late run.  Down four (54-50), Howell hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Mount a two-point advantage.  Sophomore Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) followed with another triple, his only basket of the game, and then Milella's bucket at 1:47 capped an 11-0 run.

Senior Carlos Valdez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) led the Knights with 15 points and seven rebounds.  Howell added 11 points and five assists, while Milella pitched in with 10 points and six boards.  Junior Lenny Ragaglia (Staten Island, N.Y.) came off the bench for 11 points, connecting three times from downtown.

Horne led Sage with 16 points, while Lanoue contributed 13 points and six rebounds.  Sager just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine boards.

Mount Saint Mary finishes off a streak of six consecutive road games with a trip to Mount Saint Vincent on Thursday.  The tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.   The Knights return home to host Maritime on Saturday.