Emmitsburg, Md. (February 14, 2015)--Fueled by a career-high 24 points from sophomore Byron Ashe, Mount St. Mary's topped visiting Bryant, 75-68, on Saturday afternoon at Knott Arena.

Ashe was on fire in the first half, scoring 20 of his 24 points in the opening 20 minutes.  Leading 28-24, Ashe converted a traditional three-point play to give the Mountaineers a 31-24 lead.  After the Bulldogs cut the Mount lead to one, Ashe connected on back-to-back three-pointers to push the Mount (12-13, 8-6 NEC) to a 38-31 lead at the break.

Mount St. Mary's came out strong in the second half, taking a 49-37 lead with 17:12 left in the game.  Junior Robinson started the spurt with a three-pointer, while Gregory Graves scored the final six points of the run.  Graves was fouled on a three-point attempt, and hit all three free throws before converting a traditional three-point play on the next possession.

Bryant (12-13, 9-5 NEC) fought back, cutting the deficit to 55-49 on a Dan Garvin dunk, but a Kristijan Krajina post move and a Will Miller three-pointer gave the Mount an 11-point advantage.

The Bulldogs did not go away, and a Dyami Starks lay-up with 3:02 left cut the Mount advantage to 67-62.  After a turnover by each team, Graves had a put-back dunk with 1:32 remaining that pushed the lead to 69-62.  After a Starks miss on a three-pointer, the Mount was able to close out the win by going 6-for-8 at the line in the final minute.

Ashe finished the game 9-for-19 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range for his career-high 24 points.  His previous best was 21 points in road wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart.  Graves added 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the win.

Miller hit 3-of-7 from three-point range for nine points, Robinson chipped in nine points and five assists, and Taylor Danaher had seven points, five boards and a pair of blocks for the Mount.  Starks led Bryant with 18 points with Garvin adding 16 and Bosko Kostur 15 in the loss.

The Mount returns to action on Thursday, February 19, when LIU Brooklyn visits Knott Arena for a 7:00 p.m. matchup.

Game Notes:  The Mount is now in a three-way tie for fourth place in the NEC with Saint Francis U and LIU Brooklyn at 8-6...Bryant and Robert Morris are one game ahead and in a tie for second with 9-5 league marks...The Mountaineers are now 7-0 all-time at home against Bryant, and lead the all-time series 10-4.