NEWBURGH, N.Y. - The Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team held on for a hard-fought, 84-79, win over the visiting Mount Saint Vincent Dolphins on Monday evening in the Kaplan Center. The win moves the Knights to 18-5 on the season and 16-2 in Skyline Conference play. With the loss, the Dolphins finish the regular season at 15-10 overall (10-10 Skyline) and will have to wait on a potential bid to the conference tournament.
The opening minutes were a battle, in a game that proved to be a physical, competitive contest. Mount Saint Vincent sophomore George Naldjeff (Miami, Fla.) capped an 8-0 run with a fast break layup at the 11:55 mark to give the Dolphins their biggest lead of the early going. After an exchange of buckets, Mount Saint Vincent senior Dino Johnson (Fort Johnson, N.Y.) nailed a three-pointer to push the Dolphins back to a six-point edge, 22-16, with 9:03 remaining in the half.
With his team trailing by four, Mount Saint Mary senior Tim Morris (Greenwich, N.Y.) put back an offensive rebound at the 6:57 mark to spark the Knights. Sophomore Lenny Ragaglia (Staten Island, N.Y.) then knocked down a three-pointer on a well-designed inbounds play, sending the Mount to a 25-24 advantage. Freshman Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) and freshman Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) combined to score 13 points over the final six minutes of the half, as the Knights closed the half on a 21-4 run.
The Knights built on their momentum early in the second half and a three-point play from freshman Chris Pisciotta (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) four minutes in sent the Mount to their biggest lead of the night, 52-33. Turnovers and missed shots began to plague the Knights, however, and their lead slowly slipped away. Mount Saint Vincent clawed back into the game, and when Johnson was fouled on a three-point attempt at the 10:23 mark, the senior made all three attempts to cut the deficit to eight, 57-49.
At the 5:51 mark, Mount Saint Vincent junior Mark Waite (Chicago, Ill.) laid it in off the glass to bring the Dolphins to within five. A pair of Howell free throws was answered by Naldjeff on a feed from sophomore Shaquille Cunningham (Brooklyn, N.Y.). The Knights were whistled for an offensive foul on the ensuing possession, allowing Cunningham a chance to get the Dolphins closer. His layup rolled out, however, and Naldjeff committed an offensive foul after collecting the rebound, sending the ball back over to the Knights.
Howell, continuing his career-best night, drained a three-pointer from the top of the key at the 4:21 mark to push the lead back to eight. After Naldjeff put home a layup, Howell banked in a triple from the wing to make it a nine-point margin. A jumper from Cunningham at the 2:37 mark would give the Dolphins one last life in a five-point game, but it was Howell who had the answer once again. His old-fashioned three-point play at the 2:26 mark all but sealed the win for the Knights. Just for good measure, Stabach drained a three-ball from the corner at the 1:12 mark, icing the game at 79-68. Mount Saint Mary made 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the final minute of play to solidify the win at 84-79.
Howell recorded 15 points in the second half alone and went on to finish with a career-high 20 points. Morris contributed 15 points, while Stabach added 13 points on the strength of three three-pointers. Ragaglia also hit three triples to finish with 11 points, while junior Carlos Valdez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) completed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Johnson scored a team-high 17 points for the Dolphins. Cunningham added 14 points, 12 in an impressive second half, while Naldjeff finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks.
Because of results elsewhere in the conference, Mount Saint Mary may now clinch the regular season Skyline title with a win in either of their two remaining games. The first shot to clinch will be Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. as they'll host Purchase College.