NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Boosted by a 14-0 run late in the second half, Keystone College defeated Mount Saint Mary College, 74-60, in non-conference men's basketball action on Tuesday evening.  The Giants open the season at 1-0, while the Knights start at 0-1.

With the Knights leading 58-56 as the clock ticked below four minutes, Keystone junior Tim Benedix (Mission Viejo, Calif.) knocked down a wide open three-pointer to give the Giants the lead.  Following a blocked shot and a Mount turnover, senior Kenneth Hardnett (Plant City, Fla.) went the length of the floor on a fast break and converted a three-point play after being fouled on the layup.  Another Mount turnover resulted in a pair of Keystone free throws from freshman Dan Candemeres (Holbrook, N.Y.) and the run was on.  A dunk from senior Malcolm Boone (Sugar Loaf, N.Y.), a fast break layup from Benedix, and a free throw from Hardnett capped a 14-0 run and gave the Giants an insurmountable 69-58 advantage.

A sloppy first half sent the teams to the locker room with Keystone leading 29-25.  After a back-and-forth start to the second half, Mount junior Lenny Ragaglia (Staten Island, N.Y.) drained a huge three-pointer with 12:32 on the clock to give the Knights a 41-40 edge.  Keystone, however, responded with an 8-2 run and a fast break dunk from Hardnett at 10:41 gave the Giants a 48-43 lead.

The Knights answered with an 11-2 run and a put-back by sophomore Joe Henain (Bensuef, Egypt) at the 8:12 mark gave the Mount a 54-50 advantage.  Mount Saint Mary seemed to grab control with a jumper from senior Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.) at the 4:54 mark that made it 58-55, but the Giants retaliated with their game-changing run.

Hardnett led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-14 from the field and completed a double-double with 10 rebounds.  Benedix hit on 5-of-9 attempts from three-point range to finish with 17 points, while Boone added 15 points and seven boards.

Henain led the Knights with 13 points on 5-for-8 from the floor and also collected a team-high nine rebounds.  Sophomore Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) was the only other player to reach double figures with 10.  Mount Saint Mary struggled with foul trouble as both Milella and senior Carlos Valdez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) were both forced to watch the conclusion from the sidelines with five fouls.  Valdez picked up two early, first-half fouls and played just 13 minutes.

The Knights will look to rebound on Friday night with a home game against Vassar College.  The tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside the Kaplan Center on November 18.