Newburgh, N.Y. – Junior Connor Nicholson (Staten Island, N.Y.) led four players in double-figures with 18 points and freshman T.J. Patsalos (Newburgh, N.Y.) recorded his team leading third double-double of the season in an impressive 75-55 home win over St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
 
After falling behind 10-6 in the early going on Tuesday, the Mount held St. Joseph's without a point for eight minutes in building an 18-10 lead. The Knights held the Bears to 0-for-13 shooting over the stretch until a Michael Megafu lay-in with 6:24 left before halftime.
 
The Mount defense held St. Joseph's to a 25-percent shooting effort in the first half and held the league leaders in scoring average to just 19 points over the opening 20 minutes.
 
The Knights converted at 35.5-percent in the opening period and got a team-high nine points off the bench from Nicholson in the first half. Nicholson went 3-for-5 from behind the arc before the break, accounting for each of the Mount's conversions from bonus distance in the half.
 
Mount Saint Mary blew the game open in the second half with a 23-4 run over nearly seven minutes in the second half that turned a seven point lead into a 26 point advantage with just under eight minutes left in the contest. The Knights went 8-for-8 from the floor, including 3-for-3 from three-point range, and was led by eight points from Daniel Wolff (Holtsville, N.Y.).
 
The Bears would never recover and could not scratch closer than 16 points over the final eight minutes, despite 16 second half points from Matt O'Neill.
 
The Mount shot a blistering 65.4-percent from the floor in the second half with Stephen Steyer (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Wolff leading the way with 13 and 12 points, respectively after the break. The duo combined to go 9-for-13 from the floor after halftime and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.
 
Nicholson closed the night 6-for-8 from floor, including three triples, and added a pair of assists. Wolff knocked in a pair of three-pointers after halftime, scoring all of his points in the second 20 minutes. He contributed nine rebounds and a pair of assists in the win.
 
Patsalos picked up his third double-double of the season with a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with 10 points, three assists, two blocks and a pair of steals. Steyer reached double-figures in scoring for the third time in the team's last four games, netting 17 points on an efficient 8-for-10 effort from the floor. He chipped in with two assists and three steals.
 
St. Joseph's, who was leading the conference in scoring at better than 80 points per outing coming into Tuesday's game, was held to 55 points and 28.6-percent shooting by the Mount Saint Mary defense. O'Neill and Megafu combined for 12 of the team's 18 made field goals, with O'Neill leading all players with 23 points in the game.
 
The Knights closed the evening shooting 49.1-percent as a team and dominated the paint, outscoring the visitors 40-24 inside.
 
Tuesday's win moves Mount Saint Mary to 7-11 overall on the season and to 5-9 in league play. The Knights will be back on the floor for an important conference matchup at Yeshiva on Saturday night. Tip-off with the Maccabees is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.