Men’s Basketball Edged by Mt. St. Mary, 67-65

Newburgh, NY| Despite a double-double performance from sophomore Frank Basile, the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's basketball team (4-17, 4-12 Skyline) suffered a narrow 67-65 defeat to Mount St. Mary College (9-12, 9-7 Skyline) in Newburgh, NY on Monday evening.

Basile, who shot 7-for-12 from the field, scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Both totals matched game-highs.

Also scoring in double figures for the Golden Eagles were seniors Stephen Cohen and Jarred Marrow, who contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Junior Eddie Higgins grabbed 11 boards.

Leading the way for the Knights was Tyler McDine, who scored 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the field.

Falling behind early, SJC battled back and took a 23-21 lead with 4:46 to play in the first when Basile converted on a layup. But the lead was short-lived as the hosts tallied eight of the first-half's final 11 points to take a 29-26 advantage into the break.

A strong start to the second saw the Golden Eagles retake the lead and eventually go up three points following Higgins' layup 4:27 into the frame. Three consecutive free throw completions by McDine knotted the score back up, this time at 39, seconds later and kick-started a run that saw the Knights eventually build a nine-point lead (57-48) with 7:00 to play in regulation.

Refusing to quit, SJC clawed all the back to within one point (66-65) when Basile drained a three-ball with 40 seconds on the clock, but the guests were held and eventually fell by a 67-65 scoreline.

Despite falling short, SJC shot much better from the field--48.1% to MSMC's 38.3%--and outrebounded the Knights 41-33.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Wednesday, February 7 when they visit Skyline Conference rival Farmingdale State. Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm.