NEWBURGH, N.Y. – In a game that never saw a double-digit lead, the Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team (4-12, 3-6 Skyline) played well, but was unable to overtake St. Joseph's College (L.I.) (10-6, 7-2 Skyline), falling by a score of 71-68 in Skyline Conference action Sunday afternoon at the Kaplan Center.
The Knights played a completely different game than the last time these two teams met. Back on Dec. 6, the Knights shot just 20.8 percent en route to a 64-27 rout by the Golden Eagles. On Sunday, the Knights made 51 percent (25-of-49) of their field goals, including 10-of-20 threes (50 percent), leading to them scoring more than double their output from the previous contest.
Despite both teams shooting well in Sunday's matchup, neither team was ever able to pull away from the other. St. Joe's held the largest lead of the first half at five points, but that lead was quickly erased as freshman guard
Daniel Wolff (Holtsville, N.Y.) made a layup, and then freshman guard
Andrew Holmes (Niskayuna, N.Y.) drained a three to tie. After a layup by Andy Laurent gave the Golden Eagles a two-point lead again, Holmes drained a pair of free throws, Wolff hit another three, and then he made a layup after Darryl Charles hit a free throw to give the Knights a four-point lead, their largest of the game.
A 6-0 run by the visitors put them back up by two, but Holmes once again hit a big three to give the Knights another lead. Both teams traded baskets down the stretch of the first half, with St. Joe's Billy Heenan sinking a layup with under two seconds to go to give the Golden Eagles a 34-32 lead heading into the half.
The second half looked much like the first, with both teams trading leads, but neither one able to break away. The Knights trailed, 50-45, with 10:22 left in the game. Before anyone could blink, the Knights made three free throws, and then freshman forward
Gerard Nocera (Holmdel, N.J.) and sophomore guard
Connor Nicholson (Staten Island, N.Y.) nailed back-to-back threes to put the Knights up by four. As was the trend for both teams in the game, a clutch three by Laurent once again tied the game with 6:33 to play.
The Knights took the lead back with 5:59 to play on another three by Nicholson, but Isaiah Moore scored on back-to-back possessions for the Golden Eagles to put them up by three. Wolff once again hit a big three to tie, but the Eagles scored six-straight points to take its largest lead of the game. Though the Knights kept scoring, the Golden Eagles kept pace in the final minutes to hold on for a three-point win.
Four Golden Eagles scored in double-digits on Sunday, led by Moore, who tallied 16 points. Fernando Vazquez followed with 15 of his own. Nick Gallina scored just three points, but dished out a game-high eight assists.
Wolff recorded a double-double for the Knights with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Nicholson went 6-of-8 from the field, including a pair of threes, to lead the Knights with 16 points. Nocera went 3-for-3 from downtown en route to a 12-point effort.
Neither team had many rebounds, but the Knights held a 36-26 edge in Sunday's contest. The Knights turned the ball over 19 times and took the ball away just five times, leading to a 24-8 points-off-turnovers advantage for the Golden Eagles. Though the Knights dominated the boards, the Eagles were stronger in the paint, scoring 36 points while holding the Knights to 18.
The Knights continue Skyline play on Wednesday, Jan. 28, when they travel up north to The Sage Colleges. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights
