Emmitsburg, Md. (January 20, 2020)--Mount St. Mary's, buoyed by its best defensive effort in nearly 16 years, stretched its win streak to three games with a 59-39 victory over St. Francis Brooklyn at Knott Arena on Monday night.  Vado Morse led the Mount with 19 points while Nana Opoku posted his second career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. 

The Mountaineers held St. Francis to 39 points, the fewest points by a Mount opponent since a 57-38 victory at Wagner on Feb. 28, 2004.  Mount St. Mary's, which leads the Northeast Conference in field goal percentage defense in league games at 37.4 percent, held the Terriers to 23.7 percent shooting overall (14-of-59) and 3-of-27 (.111) from three-point range.

Morse got things started on the Mount's first possession, converting a back-door lay-up on a feed from Damian Chong Qui for a 2-0 lead.  Morse scored 11 of the Mount's first 13 points, hitting three three-pointers during that stretch, to give the Mount an early 13-6 advantage.  Leading 23-15 with just under eight minutes left in the opening half, the Mount went on a 13-to-2 run to take a 19-point advantage with 1:31 left in the first half.  Opoku scored the first five points of the run on a dunk off a Jalen Gibbs feed and a traditional three-point play.  Morse capped the run with five consecutive points, including a traditional three-point play that gave the Mount a 36-17 advantage.  The Mount led 36-19 at the half.

St. Francis guard Rob Higgins connected on a jumper to cut the Mount advantage to 37-23 early in the second half, but Opoku ignited the crowd with a highlight reel dunk with 16:47 left in the game for a 39-23 lead.  Chong Qui found Opoku in the lane in transition, and the redshirt sophomore took off from the Northeast Conference logo in the paint for the emphatic slam.  That play sparked a 14-to-4 run that gave the Mount a 51-27 lead with 4:45 remaining in the game.  The Mount cruised to victory from there.

Morse hit 7-of-14 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range for his game-high 19 points.  Opoku was 5-of-8 from the field and 7-of-12 from the line to finish with 17 points and 10 rebounds.  Chong Qui quietly put together a solid line with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists.  Brandon Leftwich added a career-high eight rebounds in the win.  Higgins led St. Francis Brooklyn with 13 points.  The Mount held Chauncey Hawkins, who entered the game averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game, to two points on 0-of-10 shooting.

The Mountaineers have won three in a row to improve to 8-11 overall and into a tie for fourth place with a 4-2 mark in the NEC.  The Mount returns to action on Saturday, January 25, with a 5:00 p.m. home game against Bryant.