BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Feb. 8, 2020) - In the final contest for their two week long road trip, the Mount St. Mary's men's basketball team found themselves on the wrong end of a 70-67 decision to the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers. 

Mount (10-14, 6-5 NEC) received 20 points from Damian Chong Qui, 16 from Vado Morse and 10 from Nana Opoku. Opoku added nine rebounds and Chong Qui contributed seven assists. As a team the Mountaineers shot 33.9 percent from the floor, but stayed close thanks to a 15-for-18 effort from the charity stripe. Their 20 offensive rebounds were a season high, but they struggled to capitalize, earning just 17 second chance points. 

St. Francis Brooklyn (11-13, 5-7 NEC) was led by the duo by Unique McLean and Larry Moreno. McLean earned a game-high 21 points and Moreno was 5-of-6 from long distance on the way to 19 points. 

During the first half, Mount found themselves behind two minutes in. McLean rattled off eight points straight to help his side go up 10-7 early. St. Francis stayed one step ahead of the Mount the rest of the half, but a balanced attack helped the visitors stay within two of the competition at the break. Morse and Omar Habwe led with six points, followed by five from Chong Qui and Opoku. 

It would be a stagnant start to the second half for both sides. Mount had numerous opportunities to take the lead, but several attempts ratlled out of the net. The Terriers needed three minutes to score their first bucket, but the Mountaineers had to wait almost seven before their first shot fell. That gave St. Francis the ability to steadily increase their advantage, building up a lead as high as 14 at the 54-40 mark. Mount was further inhibited by Opoku's foul trouble and an injury to Malik Jefferson. 

Despite the adversity, Mount plowed ahead and made another comeback effort late in the game. Over the next several minutes they managed to cut the deficit in half. The Terriers' Moreno pulled off a contested three that went in, but Mount responded with free throws before a three by Chong Qui trimmed the contest to one possession. 

Moreno found himself with a clear lane after Mount failed to steal and finished a layup. Chong Qui answered back with another three to make it 65-64 Brooklyn with 47 ticks on the clock. St. Francis hit their foul shots down the stretch, but the Mountaineers had one last chance down three with 13 seconds to play. After a missed three, Habwe earned an offensive rebound and forced an inbounds play and one final look. The Terriers were able to double team the shooter and avoid the foul, so the desparation heave resulted in an airball to send the Brooklynites home happy. 

Mount St. Mary's has their long awaited return home this Thursday (Feb. 13) when they host Robert Morris.