Old Westbury, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Men's Basketball team suffered a 76-69 road loss at Old Westbury on Thursday evening. Kendall Francis (Great Neck, N.Y.) led three players in double-figures with 17 points, with Paul Sienke (Washington, D.C.) and Jameson Morton (Woodstock, N.Y.) each chipping in 14.
 
Old Westbury got off to a quick start on Thursday, jumping out to an 8-0 lead following a Pedro Marquez three-pointer just 91 seconds into the tilt. The Knights were held off the board until a Morton conversion at the 14:59 mark of the opening half and got the game tied at 14-14 when Sienke capped a 14-6 spurt with a triple just past the midway point of the half.
 
The Panthers quickly grabbed the lead back on an Alan McDonald conversion and later used a 20-6 run to push their lead to 36-22 on a Jaison Robinson three-pointer with 94 seconds left before the intermission. The Mount got the deficit down to nine points on a three-point play from Morton, but a Marquez bucket at the first half horn sent Old Westbury into the locker room with a 38-27 advantage.
 
The Knights were held to six field goals in the first half, shooting just over 27-percent from the floor. The Mount went 2-for-12 from behind the arc and misfired on seven of its 20 free-throw attempts before halftime. Morton led the team at the break with seven points.
 
Old Westbury converted at 39.5-percent overall before halftime, hitting five three-pointers to go along with 11 forced turnovers. Marquez and Justin Alleyne-Washington led all scorers at the break with eight points apiece.
 
Mount Saint Mary would trail much of the second half by double-figures before a 22-8 run brought the Knights to within 74-68 in the closing seconds on a Morton lay-in. Old Westbury would knock in its final two free-throws of the night to earn the season split with the Knights.
 
Mount Saint Mary improved to 48.4-percent shooting after halftime and saw Francis and Sienke each tally 11 points in the second stanza. Old Westbury was led by 10 seconds half points from Marquez as the Panthers converted at 48.1-percent after the break.
 
Francis finished the game 5-for-10 from the floor, including a pair of triples, to go along with three assists and a pair of steals. Sienke finished up 5-for-9 from the floor to go along with four rebounds, while Morton went 6-for-9 from the floor to go along with four steals and a pair of assists.
 
Senior Connor Bacci (Bayside, N.Y.) matched his career-high in rebounds with 10 to lead the Knights, while Tristan Millett (Allentown, N.J.) handed out a career-high six assists, adding eight points and four rebounds.
 
Old Westbury received a game-high 18 points from Marquez who also handed out three assists. Alleyene-Washington completed a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Chase Johnson chipped in 10 points and five boards.
 
Mount Saint Mary rounded out the night shooting 39.6-percent from the floor, including a 5-for-23 effort from three-point range. The Panthers finished at 43.1-percent overall in the win, including eight three-pointers. Both teams struggled from the free-throw line, with the Mount shooting 66.7-percent on 33 attempts and the Panthers converting at 57.1-percent on 21 attempts.
 
Thursday's loss drops Mount Saint Mary to 9-5 overall on the season and to 6-3 in Skyline Conference play. The Knights close out a busy week on Saturday with a trip to the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Tip-off with the Mariners is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.