NEWBURGH, N.Y. – St. Joseph's College junior Olivier Laurent (Amityville, N.Y.) scored a game-high 30 points to lead his team to a 75-69 victory over Mount Saint Mary College on Saturday afternoon inside the Kaplan Center. The Golden Eagles improved to 20-5 overall (16-4 Skyline), while the Knights fell to 18-7 overall (16-4 Skyline).
A one-point game as the clock moved under nine minutes to play, St. Joseph's snuck away from the Mount with a 13-4 run. Junior Vincent Russo (Sayville, N.Y.) banked home a layup at the 5:13 mark to make the score, 67-57, in favor of the Golden Eagles.
The Knights rattled off the next six points, however, and it was a four-point game with 4:23 remaining. Minutes later, a three-pointer from freshman Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) cut the deficit to three at 72-69. After a defensive stop, the Mount seemed poised to edge closer, but back-to-back layups from junior Carlos Valdez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) were off the mark.
St. Joseph's was called for a shot clock violation on the next possession, though, setting up the Knights for another opportunity. Mount sophomore Lenny Ragaglia (Staten Island, N.Y.) got an open look at the top of the key with 57 seconds remaining, but his three-point attempt rattled in-and-out. Howell was called for a foul at the other end and St. Joseph's junior Trey Black (Bayport, N.Y.) made one-of-two at the line to make it 73-69. A three-point attempt from Howell was off the mark and the Knights sent St. Joseph's junior Steve Velazquez (Hauppauge, N.Y.) to the foul line, where he made both attempts to seal the victory.
Laurent connected on just 11-of-28 attempts from the field, but he consistently gouged the Mount's defense with drives through the lane. He connected on 5-of-5 at the line to finish with 30 points. Black was also an offensive force for the Golden Eagles, racking up 19 points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds. Russo chipped in with 15 points.
Senior Tim Morris (Greenwich, N.Y.) was the star for the Knights, finishing with 25 points on 10-of-15 from the floor. He completed a double-double with 12 rebounds and also dished out a team-best four assists. Howell was the only other Knight in double figures, tallying 12 points, all by way of the three-pointer. Junior Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.) added eight points and nine boards.
It was a tough shooting day with both teams clocking in at 33.8-percent for the contest. The Knights really struggled at the line, connecting on just 9-of-19 attempts. The Golden Eagles, however, took advantage at the line to the tune of 21-for-26.
With both teams tied at 16-4 in Skyline play, Mount Saint Mary claims the second seed in next week's conference tournament via a tiebreaker. The Knights will have a first-round bye and host a semifinal game on Thursday. Third-seeded St. Joseph's will host a quarterfinal on Tuesday.