Riverdale, N.Y. – Paced by five players in double-figures and a 55 point outburst in the second half, the College of Mount Saint Vincent Men's Basketball team opened the season with an impressive 100-75 win over SUNY Canton on Friday, setting up a date with Lehman in the CMSV Tip-Off Tournament Championship. Junior Brandon Serrano (Hempstead, N.Y.) led the offensive attack with 23 points.
The opening 20 minutes were a back-and-forth affair that featured four ties and eight lead changes. After the Roos pulled in front by seven on a Khalid Vaughn layup with 7:23 left in the first half, the Dolphins used an 11-3 spurt to get back in front 35-34. Serrano sparked the run with four straight points, including the bucket with 4:28 left before the half that put the Mount in front for good in the period.
In a high paced first half, Canton shot just over 56-percent from the floor, while the Dolphins converted on 47.4-percent of their chances. The Dolphins took advantage of eight Canton miscues in the opening 20 minutes and turned those into 13 points to take a 45-44 lead into the break.
Coming out of halftime, the Roos jumped back in front on a Ryan Lamica triple with 17:57 left in the tilt. Shaquille Cunningham (Brooklyn, N.Y.) quickly answered with a jumper for the Dolphins to tie the score for the sixth time on the night. His jumper started a 38-10 run for the Dolphins over a 9:57 stretch that resulted in an 86-60 lead after a Serrano bucket with 7:52 left.
The Dolphins held Canton to 44.4-percent shooting in the second half, while they went on to covert on just over 55-percent of their chances. The Mount also knocked in four of its six triples after the break, all four coming from senior Stephen Oliver (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Serrano and James Zuccaro (Gilbert, Ariz.) combined for 44 points on the night, with Zuccaro adding 21 for the Mount. Serrano led all players with 11 rebounds in the game and three blocks. Zuccaro finished the night with seven boards.
Cunningham pitched in 15 points on the night and six assists with Oliver and newcomer Brandon Duenas (Gilbert, Ariz.) each collecting 12 tallies. Junior Kevin Henry (Yonkers, N.Y.) had a strong night with five rebounds, a block and two steals.
Khalid Vaughn finished the night with 20 points for the Roos on 7-for-15 shooting with Xavier Fisher and Ryan Lamica each totaling 13 points. Lamica handed out five assists and also hit on half of the team's six three-pointers.
For the night, both team's shot better then 50-percent from the floor, but the Dolphins held a commanding 52-32 edge in points in the paint. The Mount also held a sizeable advantage in offensive rebounds at 19-9, second chance points at 21-9 in and points off of turnovers after turning 26 Roo miscues into 37 tallies.
With the win Mount Saint Vincent stands at 1-0 heading into Saturday's championship tilt with its cross-town rival. Tip-off at the Sharp Center is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Game Notes: The Dolphins are now 3-2 in season openers under Brian Nigro '00…The Dolphins stand at 2-0 in season openers at home under Nigro…Dating back to last season, the Mount has won seven straight home games…Seven players made their debuts for the Dolphins on Friday.