RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Mount Saint Mary junior Carlos Valdez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) totaled 17 points, 17 rebounds, and seven assists, but his team lost their Skyline Conference opener to the College of Mount Saint Vincent by a score of 77-70. The Knights fell to 1-3 overall (0-1 Skyline), while the Dolphins stayed perfect at 5-0 (2-0 Skyline).
The Dolphins took their biggest lead of the opening half with a 9-0 run midway through the period. A fast break layup by senior Alvin Pegues (Brooklyn, N.Y.) at the 6:51 mark sent Mount Saint Vincent to a 24-13 advantage and forced the Knights to take a timeout.
Mount Saint Mary freshman Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) converted a fast break opportunity following a nice feed from Valdez to cut the half time deficit to just seven (37-30).
Mount Saint Vincent maintained a comfortable lead into the final six minutes, but the Knights crept back into the game with some strong play by junior Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.). Milella connected twice during a 7-0 run that trimmed the Dolphin advantage to three (57-54) with 4:25 remaining.
The Dolphins responded with an 11-2 run, however, bumping their lead back to twelve (68-56) with less than a minute and a half to go. A pair of three-pointers inside the final minute brought the Knights closer, but the Dolphins continued to connect at the charity stripe and held on for a seven-point win.
Valdez shot 7-of-9 from the floor for 17 points. He also tallied a game-high 17 rebounds and seven assists. Milella was 8-for-15 from the field and finished with 16 points and six boards. Freshman Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) had 12 points, but was 0-for-5 from three-point range.
Junior Omonya Onwe (Staten Island, N.Y.) scored a game-high 18 points for the Dolphins. Pegues completed a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Knights were plagued by a season-high 27 turnovers and poor three-point shooting. They connected on just 3-of-19 attempts from behind the arc.
Up next for the Mount is their home opener against Sage on Thursday, December 2. The Skyline Conference tilt is set for a 7:00 p.m. start in the Kaplan Center.