GALLOWAY, N.J. - Mount Saint Mary College capped a record-setting season with an 88-77 victory over Brooklyn College in the championship game of the ECAC Metro Region tournament to claim the first ECAC title in program history. The Knights finish the season with a overall record of 23-7, the winningest season in school history.
The Knights never trailed on Sunday, consistently keeping Brooklyn at an arm's length. Leading 37-33 at the break, Mount Saint Mary pushed the lead to ten with a 7-0 run. A three-pointer from sophomore Chris Pisciotta (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) at the 14-minute mark made the score, 53-43.
Brooklyn senior Tyshawn Russell (Jamaica, N.Y.) cut the deficit to three with a 6-0 run of his own, but the Knights were unfazed and answered with a 13-4 run. A pair of free throws from senior Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.) at the 6:07 mark made it, 70-57, Knights.
The Bulldogs would not threaten over the game's final six minutes, getting only as close as nine on two occasions. Mount Saint Mary went 6-of-6 at the line over the course of the final minute to close out an 88-77 win.
Milella, just one day removed from scoring his 1,000th career points, had a huge day on his way to being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He led the Knights with 24 points on 9-of-13 from the field and also collected eight rebounds.
Sophomore Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) was also a key factor, totaling 22 points on the strength of six three-pointers, while sophomore Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) added 13 points and seven rebounds. Senior Carlos Valdez (Carlina, Puerto Rico), limited by foul trouble, still led the Knights with 10 rebounds.
Russell led Brooklyn with 31 points on 12-of-22 from the field.
The Knights shot 46.6-percent from the field and connected on 11-of-29 from three. Brooklyn also fared well, hitting at 44.8-percent and on 10-of-26 from downtown. Mount Saint Mary held a 46-32 advantage on the glass.
Mount Saint Mary also totaled 23 wins during the 2002-03 season, a year that the team finished 23-8. The current team's winning percentage of .767 eclipsed the previous record of .759, set during the 22-7 campaign of 2005-06.
The Knights never trailed on Sunday, consistently keeping Brooklyn at an arm's length. Leading 37-33 at the break, Mount Saint Mary pushed the lead to ten with a 7-0 run. A three-pointer from sophomore Chris Pisciotta (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) at the 14-minute mark made the score, 53-43.
Brooklyn senior Tyshawn Russell (Jamaica, N.Y.) cut the deficit to three with a 6-0 run of his own, but the Knights were unfazed and answered with a 13-4 run. A pair of free throws from senior Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.) at the 6:07 mark made it, 70-57, Knights.
The Bulldogs would not threaten over the game's final six minutes, getting only as close as nine on two occasions. Mount Saint Mary went 6-of-6 at the line over the course of the final minute to close out an 88-77 win.
Milella, just one day removed from scoring his 1,000th career points, had a huge day on his way to being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He led the Knights with 24 points on 9-of-13 from the field and also collected eight rebounds.
Sophomore Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) was also a key factor, totaling 22 points on the strength of six three-pointers, while sophomore Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) added 13 points and seven rebounds. Senior Carlos Valdez (Carlina, Puerto Rico), limited by foul trouble, still led the Knights with 10 rebounds.
Russell led Brooklyn with 31 points on 12-of-22 from the field.
The Knights shot 46.6-percent from the field and connected on 11-of-29 from three. Brooklyn also fared well, hitting at 44.8-percent and on 10-of-26 from downtown. Mount Saint Mary held a 46-32 advantage on the glass.
Mount Saint Mary also totaled 23 wins during the 2002-03 season, a year that the team finished 23-8. The current team's winning percentage of .767 eclipsed the previous record of .759, set during the 22-7 campaign of 2005-06.