Emmitsburg, Md. (January 11, 2014)--Julian Norfleet scored 24 points while Rashad Whack added 18 to lead Mount St. Mary's to an 88-82 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon at Knott Arena.

Norfleet was 9-for-17 from the field while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists in the victory.  He has scored 20 or more points in each of the past three games, and in five of the past seven contests.  Norfleet is averaging 22.7 points over the seven-game stretch.

Whack added 18 points and a pair of blocks for the Mount (5-10, 1-1 NEC) in the win.  Whack is averaging 21.3 points over the past three games.

The Mountaineers raced to early 7-0 and 14-4 leads to take control of the game.  Whack was a key cog in the early run, hitting a pair of three-pointers while scoring eight of the Mount's first 14 points.

After St. Francis Brooklyn (10-7, 1-1 NEC) cut the Mount advantage to 19-14, the Mount went on a 12-to-5 run to take its biggest lead of the half, 31-19.  Sam Prescott capped the spurt with a traditional three-point play on a step-back jumper from the top of the key.

The Terriers fought back, using a 9-to-2 run late in the first half to cut the Mount advantage to 36-35.  Whack answered with a traditional three-point play on a feed from Norfleet, and Prescott hit another jumper to give the Mount a 41-35 lead at the half.

After St. Francis scored the opening bucket of the second half, the Mount reeled off six unanswered points to take a 47-37 advantage.  The Terriers scored the next five points, including a Jalen Cannon three-point play, to make it a five-point game.  However, the Mount was able to rattle off a 19-to-12 spurt to take its biggest lead of the game, 68-54, with 10:04 left in the game.

Norfleet kick-started the spurt with eight points in a span of two minutes, while the run was capped by a couple of nice plays from freshman Khalid Nwandu.  Nwandu got a steal and converted a tough drive to the basket to make it 66-54, and then made a nifty pass to a streaking Ashe on a fast break to give the Mount the 68-54 advantage.

St. Francis did not go away, cutting the Mount lead to 72-67 with 5:28 left in the game on a Cannon bucket in the paint.  Ashe stopped the run, scoring on a coast-to-coast drive and then drilling a three-pointer for a 77-67 lead with four minutes left.  The Terriers were able to cut the deficit to five on several occasions down the stretch, but the Mount hit its free throws to seal the win.

Ashe finished 7-for-10 from the field for his career-high 16 points while Prescott chipped in 13 points, three rebounds and two assists in the victory.

Cannon led all scorers with 25 points and 11 rebounds while Anthony White added a double-double of his own with 15 points and 10 boards in the loss.

The Mount shot 49.2 percent from the field in the game, and was 8-for-19 (.421) from three-point range and 20-of-23 (.870) from the charity stripe.  St. Francis Brooklyn shot 50.7 percent while scoring 62 points in the paint and holding a 42-28 advantage on the boards.

Mount St. Mary's continues its three-game homestand on Thursday, January 16, when Wagner visits Knott Arena for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.

Game Notes:  The Mount is averaging 84.4 points over the past five games, and is 57-for-121 (.471) from three-point range over that span...Mount St. Mary's holds a 30-29 lead in the all-time series with the Terriers...The Mount improves to 4-1 at home this year.