MOUNT IDA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Harold Alfond Center, Standish, Maine
FINAL: SAINT JOSEPH'S (MAINE) 71, MOUNT IDA 67
STANDISH, Maine -- Junior Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) scored a game-high 26 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists to lead Saint Joseph's (Maine) to a 71-67 Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory over Mount Ida Tuesday evening at the Harold Alfond Center.
A game that featured 15 lead changes and eight ties saw the host Monks (9-6, 4-2 GNAC) overcome a five-point second half deficit and take the lead for good (62-61) on a pair of free throws by junior Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) with 2:21 remaining. Mileikis and Barry combined for all of Saint Joseph's final 11 points of the night, as the visiting Mustangs (8-6, 2-3 GNAC) crept back to within one on three occasions in the final 37 seconds of action, the last coming on a lay-in by senior Kevin Conner (Mansfield, Mass.) with 22 ticks left. A Mileikis free throw extended the hosts' edge to two (69-67), but Mount Ida had a chance to tie or take the lead before turning the ball over with three seconds to play, and Berry canned two more free throws to seal the Monks' triumph.
The squads traded leads in the early going before Saint Joseph's took a 31-26 advantage with just under three minutes to play in the half on a three-pointer by sophomore Ryan Lavallee (Carver, Mass.), but the Mustangs scored eight of the final 10 points before intermission to take a 34-33 lead at the break on senior Jayson Clark's (Austin, Tex.) lay-in. The visitors extended that margin to five on three occasions midway through the second half, as junior Dennis Ross (Portland, Maine) connected for a three-pointer with 9:26 remaining to stake Mount Ida to a 52-47 edge. The Monks rallied to even matters at 52 on a lay-in by senior Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) with 8:28 to play, and the teams forged three ties and four lead chances during the remainder of the contest to set up the hosts' late heroics.
Berry finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in the win for Saint Joseph's, which received 11 points from freshman Tatsuaki Sakai along with six points each from Richardson-Newton and junior Jae Johns (Lindenhurst, N.Y.). The Monks shot 44 percent (25-57) from the field overall and connected for 10 three-pointers (five by Mileikis) in overcoming 18 turnovers.
Senior Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists to lead the way in the scoring column for Mount Ida, which received 12 points and seven boards off the bench from sophomore Kevin Vanderhorst (Lawrence, Mass.). Clark added nine points and five caroms for the Mustangs, who received eight points and seven rebounds from Conner to go with seven points and three assists from Ross. The visitors shot 39 percent overall (28-71) from the field and canned five three-pointers on the night, as Mount Ida held a 41-33 rebounding advantage and converted 19 offensive boards in 24 second chance points.
Mount Ida hosts Albertus Magnus in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference outing on Thursday evening at the Athletic Center that tips-off at 7:00 p.m., while Saint Joseph's entertains Anna Maria in a GNAC clash on Saturday afternoon at the Harold Alfond Center beginning at 3:00 p.m.