Newburgh, N.Y. – Coming off a road win at North Division favorite Sage on Thursday night to open conference play, the Mount Saint Mary College Men's Basketball team will continue the league slate on Saturday on the road at Purchase. Live Stats will be available for those who cannot attend the 12:00 p.m. tip-off.
At A Glance: Following a loss to Bard on Tuesday in their home opener, the Knights went on the road and an earned a 70-64 road win at Sage, snapping a four game losing skid at the hands of the Gators. Junior
Daniel Wolff (Holtsville, N.Y.) posted his first double-double of the season, finishing the night with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
Gerard Nocera (Holmdel, N.J.) added 11 points and eight boards, while
Connor Bacci (Bayside, N.Y.) came off the bench to add 10 points and five steals.
Through the first four games of the season, the Knights have a pair of players, Nocera and Wolff, averaging in double-figures and four other players good for at least 6.0 points per game. Wolff leads the scoring attack with 11.5 points per outing with Nocera following closely with 10.0 points per game.
Tyler McDine (Suffern, N.Y.) and
T.J. Patsalos (Newburgh, N.Y.) are checking in with 9.8 and 9.5 points per night.
Wolff also paces the Mount in rebounds with just shy of seven per outing and is off to an efficient start from long distance, converting at 45.5-percent from three-point range. McDine is handing out just under three assists per contest and is shooting 83.3-percent from the free-throw line in 30 attempts.
As a team, the Mount is averaging 66.0 points per game and is second in the Skyline Conference in scoring defense, allowing just 68 points per game. The Knights also pace the conference in three-point field goal defense (25.3) and are fourth in the league in field goal percentage defense (40.9).
Previewing Purchase: The Panthers enter Saturday's game at 5-1 overall and 1-0 in league play following a 97-89 win over Maritime on Thursday. All five Purchase starters reached double-figures, led by 24 points from Brian Berrios and 20 points from Michael Soffer. Berrios led the team with nine assists and Tarik Allicock posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Berrios leads four players in double-figures on the Panthers and ranks second in the Skyline Conference in scoring with 21.5 points per game. He is second on the team and fifth in the conference with 3.7 assists per game, while Deshawn Cann leads the team and sits third in the conference in assists with 4.5 helpers per outing. Allicock leads the way on the glass with 11.3 boards per night and ranks second in the conference in the category.
As a team, Purchase is averaging better than 92 points per game and leads the Skyline Conference in scoring with 92.3 points per game. The Panthers also lead the way in the conference standings in rebounding with better than 51 per game and are second in the league in rebounding margin at 6.5.
Recent History: Heading into Saturday's action, the Knights and the Panthers have met 20 times since the start of the 2007-08 season with the Mount holding a 9-11 record. The Knights swept the regular season series in 2007-08 and 2014-15, with the Panthers scoring a pair of regular season wins in 2013-14 and 1015-16. The other five sets were split and Purchase holds a 2-0 record against the Mount in the Skyline Conference Championship, including a win in the championship final during the 2013-14 season.
What's Next: Following Saturday's conference contest, the Knights will close a three game road swing at Manhattanville on Tuesday. Tip-off for the makeup game from November 22 is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Purchase, N.Y.
