ONEONTA, NY – The visiting Mount Saint Mary College Knights eked out a win in a battle of winless teams on Monday in Lambros Arena, as Jayden Figueroa's lay-up with seconds to go capped off a 25-point, 14-rebound night and gave his side a 73-72 victory over the Hartwick men's basketball team. The win is the first of the year for Mount Saint Mary, as they improve to 1-5 on the season. The Hawks remain in search of their first victory, at 0-6.

Mount Saint Mary jumped out to a quick start, taking a 7-2 lead just over two minutes in. Figueroa had five of those points, en route to 19 points on 7-of-7 from the field and 5-of-5 from three for the half. 'Wick would close the gap and eventually knot it up at 15 apiece on a Cooper Francis (Lynbrook, NY/Chaminade) three with 12:34 remaining. After a Knights bucket, the Hawks scored seven straight (including another Francis trey) to grab a 22-17 lead over halfway through the period.

After another three for each side put it at 25-20, the visitors went on a 9-0 run over 2:22 to regain the lead, 29-25. That advantage was extended out to eight at 40-32 after Figueroa's fifth three of the half with 1:29 on the clock, but back-to-back fast-break lay-ups from Trevor Brink (Lydonville, VT/Vermont Academy) and Francis made it 40-36 after 20 minutes.

The Knights led 45-38 just over two minutes into the second half when 'Wick put in the next six points on three lay-ups, and later took a 49-47 lead on a Nick Bantis (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) three with 6:31 gone by. Hartwick would stretch their lead to as much as four, but their guests stayed with it, and a Paul Sienke offensive rebound and putback re-tied the game at 61 with 6:31 on the clock.

A big-time Liam Drennan (Oyster Bay, NY/Chaminade) three put the Hawks back in front a couple possessions later, only to be followed by a 9-0 Mount Saint Mary run for a 70-64 Knights lead. A Figueroa steal and fast-break slam accounted for the last of those points. Hartwick – specifically Anthony Girard (Chestertown, NY/North Warren Central) – was undeterred. Girard was fouled on a three-point attempt on the other end and calmly sank all three free throws, and followed it up with an old-fashioned three-point play the next time down the floor, tying the game at 70-all with 1:53 to go.

Neither team could break the deadlock for the next minute-plus, until Figueroa sank the back half of a two-shot trip to the charity stripe for a 71-70 lead with 29 seconds to go. Figueroa gave the Hawks an opportunity on the other end, committing a blocking foul on Drennan well beyond the three-point lead and sending the Hawks' big man to the free throw line. Drennan drained both shots, putting Hartwick back in front by one.

Figueroa would atone for his sin on the other end, as Sienke's drive drew the 'Wick defense to him and enabled a pass to Figueroa for the go-ahead lay-up with just over two seconds to go. Girard got off a near half-court heave out of the ensuing Hawks' timeout, but the desperation try would not go as the buzzer rang out.

Francis had a very strong game on the offensive end, scoring 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and 3-of-3 from deep. He also contributed four steals, three rebounds, and an assist. Drennan had a season-high 14 points on 5-of-7 from the field and four rebounds, while Girard's late burst also gave him 14 points to go with four assists, two steals, and two rebounds. Andrew Rocci (Hanover, MA/Hanover) was the only other Hawk in double digits, with 10 points as well as six boards.

Both teams shot well, with Hartwick narrowly outdoing Mount Saint Mary from the field, 50.0% to 48.2%. The Knights had the advantage from deep, however, at 40.0% to 30.0%. They also had a slight rebounding advantage, 34-30 (10-7 on the offensive glass), perhaps leading to an 11-7 lead in second chance points. Turnovers were even at 18, with Mount Saint Mary scoring 22 points off their turnovers to the Hawks' 18.

'Wick returns to play on Thursday, when they travel to Hamilton for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

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