Mount Saint Mary Outlasts Greensboro, 76-71

NEWBURGH – Junior Daniel Wolff led three players in double-figures with a team-high 17 points and recorded his team leading third double-double of the season on Friday as the Mount Saint Mary College Men’s Basketball team rallied for a 76-71 non-conference home win over visiting Greensboro Friday evening.

After jumping out to a 15-5 lead on a Wolff three-pointer just under five minutes into the contest, the Knights saw the visitors use a 22-4 run covering over seven-and-a half minutes to take a 27-19 lead with 7:50 left before halftime. The Knights were held to just one field goal over the stretch, while Greensboro had six different players score.

The Mount clawed back to within three points following a Gerard Nocera bucket and a free-throw from Angelo Acattato, but saw the Pride run back out to a 37-29 lead on a Dominic Fumbanks triple with 1:50 left in the first half.

Following the triple from Fumbanks, the Knights scored eight of the final 10 points of the half, including a three-pointer from Connor Nicholson at the horn to pull to within 39-37 after 20 minutes of play.

Although the Mount was held to 34.5-percent shooting in the opening stanza, it outscored Greensboro 14-1 from the free-throw line in the first half to remain within one possession. Nicholson led the Knights at the break with 11 points after going 3-for-5 from the floor and knocking in a pair of triples.

Coming out of the break, the two teams traded triples, before the Pride used a 9-2 stretch, going 4-for-8 from the floor, to re-establish a 51-42 advantage just under four minutes into the second stanza. Donovan Griffith keyed the spurt with five points for Greensboro.

The Knights would get back to within three points three times in the second half, but would not be able to pull in front until a three-pointer from Nocera broke a 68-68 tie with 2:15 left in regulation time. The Pride would close to within a point, but a layup and a pair of free-throws from Wolff in the final 68 seconds sealed the victory for the Mount.

Wolff scored 10 of his team-high 17 points in the second half and finished the game 7-for-13 from the floor. He added a game-high 11 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Nocera wrapped up the win with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Tyler McDine finished up with nine points, seven boards and a team-high four assists.

Nicholson reached double-figures for the second time this season with a 15 points effort, going 5-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-5 from three-point range. Connor Bacci wrapped up a solid all-around game with five points and four steals.

Greensboro was led by a double-double from Griffith who posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Zedric Barnett scored six points and led all players in the game with six assists.

Overall, Mount Saint Mary finished the game shooting 37.7-percent from the field and held the visitors to a 30.5-percent effort. The Pride knocked in 10 three-point field goals, but was outscored by the Mount 24-11 from the free-throw line.

Friday’s win pushes Mount Saint Mary to 5-3 overall heading into the holiday break. The Knights will return to action on December 30 when they travel to Hunter. Tip-off with the Hawks is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.