Emmitsburg, Md. (January 18, 2020)--Mount St. Mary's broke out to the early lead and led the wire-to-wire in a 79-52 victory over Central Connecticut at Knott Arena on Saturday.  Jalen Gibbs led four Mountaineers in double figures with 20 points while Malik Jefferson notched his third double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds to spark the Mount to the win.

The Mount (7-11, 3-2 NEC) opened an 18-8 lead over the first eight minutes to take control of the game.  Nana Opoku scored the Mount's first five points on a three-pointer and a dunk while Damian Chong Qui added a triple to make it 8-2 early in the contest.  Opoku added a bucket in the paint, Chong Qui a jumper and Malik Jefferson a bucket and a free throw for a 15-8 advantage.  Gibbs then capped the run with his first three-pointer of the game for the 10-point advantage.  CCSU's Jamir Reed countered with a three-pointer, but an Opoku dunk on a feed from Malik Jefferson, who then connected for back-to-back buckets to stretch the Mount advantage to 24-11.  Jalen Jefferson's lay-up on a fast break pushed the Mount's lead to 36-17, and a Gibbs three-pointer with seven seconds left in the half gave the Mount a 42-21 lead at the break.

CCSU (1-18, 0-6 NEC) pulled within 49-30 on a Reed three-pointer, but the Mount responded with an 11-to-3 run to grab a 60-33 lead with just under 14 minutes remaining.  Vado Morse hit a three-pointer, Malik Jefferson a fast-break lay-up, and Gibbs a three-pointer before Brandon Leftwich capped the run with a traditional three-point play.  The Mount led comfortably the rest of the way.

Gibbs led the Mount with 20 points, hitting 5-of-10 from three-point range, in the victory.  It is the third 20-point game of the season for Gibbs, who is averaging 18.0 points over the past two games.  Jefferson went 8-of-11 from the field to finish with 17 points and 11 rebounds for his sixth career double-double.  Chong Qui added 13 points, six assists and five rebounds while Opoku chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds and a season-high six blocks for the Mountaineers.  Morse chipped in nine points and five assists while Jalen Jefferson finished with career highs of six points and nine rebounds in the game.  Reed was the lone Blue Devil in double figures with 12 points.

Mount St. Mary's shot 29-of-60 (.483) from the field in the victory, including 11-of-30 (.367) from three-point range.  The Mountaineers held a 42-to-30 edge on the boards while dishing out a season-high 20 assists.  Central Connecticut shot 16-of-51 (.314) from the field and was 3-of-9 from three-point range.

The Mount continues its three-game homestand on Monday when St. Francis Brooklyn visits Knott Arena.  Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.