LA PLUME, Pa. – Despite an excellent comeback attempt late in the second half, the Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team lost a non-conference to Keystone College on Saturday, 69-56. The Knights finish the first semester at 6-4, while the Giants improved to 7-1.

After trailing by as many as 24 in the second half, a three-pointer from freshman Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) at the 3:21 mark trimmed the deficit back to single digits (60-52). A defensive stop allowed freshman Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) to push the ball up the floor and he quickly found Stabach for a layup. Howell came up with a steal on the ensuing possession and then hit senior Tim Morris (Greenwich, N.Y.) on the fast break to make it a four-point contest (60-56) with 2:16 to play.

Unfortunately for the Knights, they would get no closer. The Giants would score the final nine points of the game as the Mount missed their final five shots.

Stabach, the team's leading scorer for the second game in a row, finished with 20 points on 8-of-17 from the field. He hit 3-of-8 attempts from three. Morris was the only other Knights to reach double figures with 10.

Junior Kenneth Hardnett (Plant City, Fla.) led the Giants with 20 points and 12 rebounds, his seventh double-double in eight games. Senior Tercel Taylor (Jackson, Mich.) finished with 15 points, while sophomore Mike Kelly (New Hartford, N.Y.) tallied 13 points.

The Knights return to Skyline Conference play on January 4. They'll host Maritime at 7:00 p.m. inside the Kaplan Center.