Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Men's Basketball team plays a pair of important Skyline Conference North Division contests this week when it travels to Maritime on Tuesday and hosts the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday. Live Stats and Video will be available for both games for those who cannot attend.
 
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary enters the week with a 6-15 overall record and a 4-8 mark in Skyline Conference play. The Knights stand a game behind both Maritime and Sarah Lawrence who are tied for the final guaranteed Skyline Conference Championship berth in the North Division.
 
Senior Kendall Francis (Great Neck, N.Y.) enters the week as the team leader in scoring with 17.3 points per game and also paces the Knights in assists with 4.3 per outing and three-point field goals with 47 on the season. His standout senior season also includes 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game for the Knights. Francis begins the week ranked sixth in the Skyline Conference in assists and ninth in scoring average.
 
Junior Jameson Morton (Woodstock, N.Y.) is the only other Knight to average double-figures in scoring, posting 10.1 points per night for the Mount. Morton is also in the midst of steady season that sees him average 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per night.
 
Juniors Ethan Fox (Wallingford, Conn.) and Paul Sienke (Washington, D.C.) are putting together strong campaigns for the Mount. Fox leads the Knights by converting 53-percent of his field goal opportunities and leads the team with 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while chipping in 9.2 points per contest. Sienke shoots 51.8-percent for the Mount, scoring 9.1 points per contest and hauling in 4.3 rebounds. Senior Tristan Millett (Allentown, N.J.) leads the way with 2.0 steals per game and is good for just under three assists per game.
 
Mount Saint Mary enters Tuesday's contest averaging 63.1 points per game and ranks second in the conference in scoring defense allowing only 69 points to its opponents. The Knights shoot 39.8-percent overall on the season, 28.1-percent from three-point range and 63.6-percent from the free-throw line.
 
Last Time Out: The Knights dropped a 53-50 heartbreaker on the road at Manhattanville Saturday afternoon. Francis was the lone Knight in double-figures with 12 points with Fox closing the day with seven points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.
 
Tommy Lotito, who finished with eight points, buried a three-pointer with 15 seconds left to give the Valiants the final three-point advantage. Mike Granda and Khari Taylor led the way with 13 points for Manhattanville who improved to 13-8 overall and 8-4 in Skyline Conference play.
 
Previewing The Privateers: After winning four straight games from January 28 – February 1, Maritime has suffered losses in its last two outings and enters Tuesday's tilt at 9-12 overall and 5-7 in Skyline Conference play.
 
Brendan McGovern leads three players in double-figures, posting 15.1 points per night including a team-high 71 three-point field goals. Brennan Whelan checks in with 12.1 points per game for the Privateers on 56.8-percent shooting to go along with team-highs in assists and steals with 4.4 and 1.3 per outing.
 
Jaylin Gray chips in 10.0 points per game for Maritime, while Griffin McNally is tops on the glass for Maritime with 3.9 rebounds per contest.
 
Maritime enters the week ninth in the conference in scoring average at 69.3 points per game and 10^th in scoring defense, allowing 76 points to its opponents. The Privateers shoot 41.6-percent overall, 33.0-percent from three-point range and 70.0-percent from the free-throw line.
 
Recent History: The Knights are 17-10 in the last 27 meetings between the two sides and have won the last five matchups in the series, including a 70-49 win in Newburgh on January 11.
 
Scouting USMMA: The Mariners enter a North Division matchup against Manhattanville on Tuesday with an 8-13 overall record and a 4-8 mark against conference rivals. USMMA has dropped four of its last five outings overall, including a 71-58 road loss at Sarah Lawrence on Saturday.
 
James Walsh is the only player scoring in double-figures for the Mariners, averaging 13.3 points per game to go along with team-highs in assists and steals with 2.8 and 1.5 per outing.
 
Blaine McDonough is also in the middle of a strong all-around season, scoring 9.8 points per game while shooting 51.6-percent from the floor. He adds a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game for the Mariners. Seth Barnes supports the offense with 8.9 points per game.
 
The Mariners rank 11^th in the Skyline Conference in scoring with 64.4 points per game, but lead the league in scoring defense, allowing only 66.9 points per outing. USMMA is shooting 43.5-percent from the floor overall, 33.6-percent from three-point range and 64.4-percent from the charity stripe.
 
Recent History: The Knights are 4-5 in the last nine meetings with the Mariners and stopped a two-game skid in the series with a 62-53 road win on January 14.
 
What's Next: The Knights finish off the regular season schedule with a pair of important North Division showdowns, hosting Sarah Lawrence on February 18 on Senior Night and traveling to Purchase on February 22 for the regular season finale.