Riverdale, N.Y. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent Men's Basketball team snapped a two game losing skid and equaled its 2009-10 win total with a convincing 76-57 Skyline Conference victory over Maritime on Saturday afternoon. Four Dolphins scored in double-figures with Mark Waite (Chicago, Ill.) posting his first career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Mount Saint Vincent opened the game by scoring the first 12 points of the tilt and allowed Maritime just nine points over the first eight minutes of the first half. Cody Gauvard (Rockaway, N.Y.) scored five of the Mount's first nine points on his way to 14 first half tallies for the Dolphins.
The Dolphins held Maritime to just 32.3-percent shooting in the first half and used the poor shooting effort by the Privateers to open a lead as large as 19 after a Gauvrad lay-up with just under six minutes left before the half. Mount Saint Vincent shot a red-hot 62.1-percent from the floor, including an even 40-percent from three-point range and carried a 42-24 edge into the break.
Mount Saint Vincent did not trail in the contest, but had its lead trimmed to just eight points after an 18-6 run by the Privateers over a nearly 10 minute stretch in the second half. With 8:36 left in regulation Quamel Lyerly hit the front end of a pair of free-throws to pull Maritime to within 52-44.
The home standing Dolphins responded to that run with a quick 7-0 spurt keyed by three points from Dino Johnson (Fort Johnson, N.Y.) and a key block and fast break dunk by George Naldjieff (Miami, Fla.) with 7:41 left in the contest. The Naldjieff sequence pushed the Mount in front by 12 and its lead the rest of the day would sink below that.
Mount Saint Vincent finished the game shooting 51.9-percent from the field and it marked the fourth time this season it has shot better the 50-percent in a game. The Dolphins also forced 16 Maritime turnovers and translated those into 19 points. The Mount bench also played a role in the victory, outscoring that of Maritime 16-4.
Gauvard led all players in scoring on the day with 22 points after going 8-for-14 from the floor to go along with seven rebounds. Johnson posted 14 points and scored in double-figures for the first time in four games. He also grabbed four rebounds and handed out a game-high six assists.
Waite notched double-figures for the first time in his career after scoring 13 on Saturday to go along with a game and career-high 12 rebounds. He finished up 5-for-10 from the floor and also dished out five assists and recorded four steals. Naldjieff rounded out the quartet in double-figures with 11 points and also posted three of the Dolphins' four blocked shots.
Giovanni Hurley led the Privateers with a double-double on the strength of 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Lyerly posted 12 points and 10 boards. Paul Saurino knocked down two of Maritime's three treys on the afternoon and also added two assists.
The win pushes Mount Saint Vincent to 11-2 overall on the season and to 6-2 against Skyline Conference opponents. The Dolphins will look to maintain their momentum when they host Bard on Tuesday night. Tip-off at the Peter Jay Sharp Center is slated for 8:00 p.m.