Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Men's Basketball team opens Skyline Conference play this week with three tough opponents. The Knights will play host to Purchase on Tuesday and Yeshiva on Thursday with both games set for 8:00 p.m. and will travel to St. Joseph's-Brooklyn to finish off the busy stretch for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off with the Bears.
 
At A Glance: The Knights enter the week at 0-2 following a hard fought 84-81 non-conference loss to SUNY Potsdam on November 21. The Mount shot 42.6-percent from the floor and hit seven three-pointers, but misfired on 13 free-throws. Senior Tyler McDine (Suffern, N.Y.) led the scoring attack with 23 points, with Connor Bacci (Bayside, N.Y.) posting a career-high with 17 points.
 
Through the season's first two games, the Knights are being outscored by nearly 10 points per game and are shooting 40.9-percent from the floor. The Mount is being outrebounded by nine caroms per contest, averaging 32.5 boards per outing.
 
Heading into the busy week, McDine leads four players scoring in double-figures with 17.0 points per game, with Daniel Wolff (Holtsville, N.Y.) good for 15.5, Gerard Nocera (Holmdel, N.J.) posting 12.5 and Bacci registering 12.0 points per contest.
 
McDine has knocked down six of his nine three-point attempts to date and is tied with Wolff and Nocera for the team lead in assists with four. Sophomore Tristan Millett (Allentown, N.J.) leads the Knights in steals with three through the season's first two contests.
 
Last Time Out: The Knights opened the home schedule with a three-point loss to visiting Potsdam on Tuesday. McDine poured in a season-high 23 points, while Bacci finished 11-for-15 from the free-throw line on his way to a career best 17 points. Nocera and Wolff chipped in with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Potsdam finished shooting nearly 46-percent for the game, making 12 three-pointers. Danny Delsol-Lowry led the offensive attack with 14 points with Nosa Onabor and Dante Viskovich each adding 13 points for the Bears.
 
Previewing Purchase: The Panthers, who were picked second in the conference preseason poll, come to town on Tuesday with a 2-2 overall record and are coming off a 12 points loss to USMMA in their conference opening on November 21.
 
The Panthers shot 41.7-percent for the game against the Mariners with Nikeem Deleon leading the scoring attack with 16 points. Purchase finished the game just 4-for-17 from three-point range and turned the ball over 26 times.
 
Deleon leads four players averaging double-figures in the early going, posting 14.3 points per game on 60-percent shooting. Brian Berrios has knocked in a team-high 10 three-pointers thus far and is good for 13.3 points per game, with Michael Soffer and Deshawn Cann chipping in 13.3 and 12.3 points, respectively.
 
Traik Allicock is leading the Panthers on the glass with nearly 11 rebounds per game with Deleon and Soffer pacing the team with 2.5 assists per outing.
 
History: Since the start of the 1995-96 season the two teams have met 28 times with the Mount holding a 16-12 record. The Mount is 1-3 in the last four meetings between the schools with the win coming in a 99-96 overtime road victory last season.
 
Scouting Yeshiva: The Maccabees enter a Tuesday road game at St. Joseph's-Brooklyn with a 2-2 record and a 1-0 mark in league play. In their last outing, the Maccabees suffered a 78-65 road loss at #3 Williams on Sunday.
 
Through four games Simcha Halpert is off to a hot start with 21.3 points per game, while Bar Alluf is good for just over 18 points per night. Halpert is shooting nearly 44-percent from bonus distance in 32 attempts and is tied for the team lead with Alluf with 4.5 assists per outing.
 
Alluf and Daniel Katz lead the team on the backboards with just over six rebounds per contest with Alluf putting together a strong all-around season with a team-high six steals.
 
History: Thursday's meeting will be the 37^th between the two programs since the start of the 2000-01 season with the Mount winning 26 times. Yeshiva is 3-2 in the last five outings, including two wins last season.
 
A Look At The Bears: St. Joseph's-Brooklyn will take on Yeshiva and the College of Mount Saint Vincent before hosting the Knights on Saturday and open the week with a 2-2 overall record and a 1-0 mark in league play. The Bears have won their last two games by a total of two points, including a 71-70 home win over preseason favorite Farmingdale State on November 21.
 
Three players are scoring in double-figures through the season's first four games, led by 18.5 points per game from Dimitri Sirakis. Stephane Etheart is good for 14 points and a team-high 9.7 rebounds per game, while Kavan Meiner is averaging 12.8 points and 7.5 caroms per outing.
 
Sirakis is handing out 3.3 assists per game for the Bears with Alec Willis swiping better than two steals per game. The Bears are shooting 42.8-percent on the season as a team and are making just over six three-point field goals per outing.
 
History: The youngest league rivalry for the Knights, the two teams will meet for just the fourth time as conference opponents on Saturday. The Mount has won two of the first three meetings, including a 21-point road win last season.
 
What's Next: After a busy week, the Knights will be off until December 9 when they play host to Old Westbury on December 9.