Elmira, N.Y. – Sophomore Gerard Nocera (Holmdel, N.J.) scored a team-high 16 points and classmate Tyler McDine (Suffern, N.Y.) added five assists for the Mount Saint Mary College Men's Basketball team in a 71-46 loss to Oswego State to open the Elmira Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening.
 
Mount Saint Mary led twice briefly in the early going on Friday when Nocera pushed it in front 3-2 on a three-pointer in the opening minute and the final time of the night when Stephen Steyer (Staten Island, N.Y.) converted a lay-in to move the Knights in front 5-4 just 1:55 into the contest.
 
The Lakers scored the next seven points after the Steyer conversion to move in front 11-5 and following a three-point play from Nocera that tied the score at 13-13, used a three-pointer from Kyle Covley to take the lead for good in the game with 10:35 left before halftime.
 
After falling behind by six points, the Knights would claw back to get to within a bucket on a Nocera triple in the late stages of the first period, but saw Oswego State score eight of the final 10 points of the first half, including a lay-in from Walter Sampson in the final second, to take a 31-23 lead into the intermission.
 
Nocera led the Knights with 12 points at the break after going 4-for-6 from the floor, including a 2-for-4 effort from behind the arc. The Knights went 8-for-26 from the floor as a team in the opening 20 minutes, while the Lakers converted at a 48-percent clip, including a 4-for-12 effort from three-point range. Covley led eight different scorers in the first half with eight points.
 
The Lakers pushed their lead to double-figures in the first possession of the second half and held at least a 10 point lead through the second half. Nocera got the Knights on the board in the half with a jumper at the 17:50 mark, before the Mount went over two minutes without a bucket.
 
Oswego State pushed its lead to 20 points on a Covley triple at the 12:25 mark of the second half and grabbed its largest lead of the game, the final 25 point decision, in the final half minute on a pair of Mykelle Krecko free-throws.
 
Nocera was the lone Knight to reach double-figures on Friday, finishing the game 6-for-10 from the floor overall. He added two rebounds and a pair of steals for the Mount. McDine led the team in assists, with Daniel Wolff (Holtsville, N.Y.) pacing the squad with six rebounds. Steyer and Connor Bacci (Bayside, N.Y.) each added six points, with Bacci chipping in with three assists.
 
Covley led a trio of Lakers in double-figures with a game-high 19 points, going 5-for-7 from three-point range in the game and adding nine rebounds. Sampson totaled 12 points and a game-high six assists, with Brian Sortino chipping in with 11 points.
 
Mount Saint Mary finished the game shooting 34-percent from the floor overall and 17.6-percent from the three-point line. The Lakers converted at an even 50-percent for the game and connected on nine three-point field goals. Oswego State outrebounded the Knights 43-21 overall and used a 9-3 edge on the offensive glass to post a seven point advantage in second chance scoring.
 
Friday's loss drops Mount Saint Mary to 1-1 overall on the season. Next up for the Knights is the consolation game of the Elmira Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday against the loser of tonight's second game between Morrisville State and Elmira. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.