Emmitsburg, Md. (December 1, 2015)--Mount St. Mary's University rolled to an 81-56 win over visiting American on Tuesday night in the home opener at Knott Arena.  Taylor Danaher (Fredericksburg, Va.) paced the Mountaineers with 19 points in the victory.

The Mount, which opened the season with six consecutive games on the road, opened the second half with an impressive 16-to-1 run to break the game open.  After a Gregory Graves (Sterling, Va.) free throw, Chris Wray (Shelby, N.C.) slammed home a dunk off a Junior Robinson (Mebane, N.C.) steal and assist to spark the run.  Wray then added a tip-in ahead of five straight points from Robinson that put the Mount ahead 45-29.

After American hit 1-of-2 at the line, Danaher added a traditional three-point play before Charles Glover (Bowie, Md.) drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key to cap the run, giving the Mount a commanding 51-30 advantage.  The Mount held its biggest lead of the game at 71-43 after a pair of Danaher free throws with 5:31 remaining.

Danaher was 7-for-7 from the field and 5-of-5 at the foul line in the game, matching his career high of 19 points.  BK Ashe (Washington, D.C.) added 13 points with Graves finishing with 10 points in the victory.  Glover chipped in eight points and a career-best seven rebounds while Wray totaled nine points and four boards in the game. Robinson had five points, a season-high seven assists and three steals as well.

The Mount forced 23 turnovers in the game, holding a 35-to-6 advantage in points scored off turnovers.  Mount St. Mary's shot 57.1 percent from the field in the game, including 18-of-28 (.643) in the second half.

Alex Paquin and Paris Maragkos each scored 13 points to lead American.

Mount St. Mary's used a 9-0 first-half run to take a seven-point lead in the first half.  Trailing 8-6, Ashe and Elijah Long (Mississauga, Ont.) posted back-to-back buckets to give the Mount the lead.  Will Miller (Dallas, Texas) added a three-pointer while Glover scored in the paint to cap the run.  The Mount was able to stretch the lead to 10 before settling for a 35-29 advantage at the break.

The Mount returns to action on Saturday, December 5, with the 171st meeting in the Catholic Clash against longtime rival Loyola.  Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. at Knott Arena.

Game Notes:  Danaher had three traditional three-point plays in the win...The game opened a three-game homestand for the Mount with all three matchups coming against Patriot League schools...The Mount is 7-1 over its past eight meetings with Patriot League teams.