Riverdale, N.Y. – Seniors Antonio Johnson (Fort Johnson, N.Y.) and James Zuccaro (Gilbert, Ariz.) combined for 44 points and 15 of the team's 24 field goals, as the College of Mount Saint Vincent Men's Basketball team scored a hard fought 69-65 Skyline Conference victory over Purchase. Wednesday's win gives Mount Saint Vincent four straight and six in its last nine outings overall.
The Dolphins got off to a sluggish start on Wednesday, falling behind 23-12 on a Jose Reyes three-point field goal with 7:58 left in the opening period. Over the first 12:02 of the contest, Mount Saint Vincent was held to 31.3-percent shooting and turned the ball over five times. Justin Person led Purchase over the opening spurt with six points.
Following the Reyes triple, Mount Saint Vincent closed the first half on a 20-2 run, converting on eight of the 10 field goals it attempted. Johnson caught fire for the Mount late in the half, scoring 12 of his 15 first half points in the final 7:08 of the period.
Over the Mount Saint Vincent run, Purchase managed just one field goal in 10 chances and went a total of five minutes in between baskets. The lone bucket for the Panthers was a Reyes jumper at the 3:10 mark that stopped an 11-0 run for the Dolphins.
Leading 32-25 at halftime on Wednesday, Mount Saint Vincent shot 43.3-percent from the floor overall and outrebounded Purchase 24-18. The Mount held and 9-2 edge in fast break points after 20 minutes and an 8-3 advantage in second chance scoring. Johnson led all players at the break with 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting overall and a 3-for-4 effort from behind the arc.
The Dolphins spread their lead to double-figures early in the second half when Zuccaro buried a three-point field goal 4:55 into the period that pushed Mount Saint Vincent in front 42-31 off an assist from Jesse Regina (Staten Island, N.Y.).
The Dolphins saw Purchase slice its disadvantage to three points following a 15-7 spurt capped by a Taylor Foster conversion with 8:22 left in regulation. Purchase went 7-for-12 from the floor over the nearly seven minute stretch, forcing four Mount Saint Vincent turnovers.
The Mount quickly built its lead back to nine points on a pair of three-point field goals from Kyle Beckmann (New City, N.Y.), before a pair of free-throws from Johnson gave the Dolphins their largest lead of the game, at 59-47, with just over four minutes left in regulation.
Although Mount Saint Vincent never trailed in the second half, it found itself dead locked with the Panthers at 62-62 with just over a minute to play following a Reyes three-point field goal. The Mount answered with a lay-in from Ammad Alkhulaidi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to retake the lead for good in the game and went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final 19 seconds to secure the final four point decision.
Mount Saint Vincent was outscored by three points in the second half and saw Purchase turn 10 turnovers into 15 points. The Panthers also scored 24 points in the paint, but the Mount outscored the visitors from the free-throw line 10-5 after halftime.
For the game, Mount Saint Vincent shot 42.1-percent from the floor and converted at an 85.7-percent rate at the free-throw line, misfiring on just two attempts on the night. Purchase struggled from the line, going just 7-for-15 and was held to a 38.8-percent effort from the floor overall.
Johnson rounded out the night with a season-high 24 points after going 8-for-13 overall and knocking in four three-point field goals. He went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line and added seven rebounds to the winning effort.
Zuccaro returned to the lineup and totaled 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. He went 7-for-13 from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Zuccaro led the team in assists with four on the night.
Alkhulaidi rounded out the evening with four points and six rebounds, adding two blocked shots. His second block came in the final half minute with the Mount leading 64-62. Beckmann hit a pair of triples for the Dolphins and added one of the team's two steals.
Purchase was led by 15 points from Michael Pelham, while Kendall Felix totaled 10 points and seven rebounds. Creig Graves led all players on the night with five assists.
Wednesday's win pushes Mount Saint Vincent to 12-5 overall on the season and to 8-2 in Skyline Conference play. The Dolphins will be back on the floor looking for their fifth straight win on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Sage. Tip-off with the Gators is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.