Box Score New Britain, Conn. (January 21, 2021)—Damian Chong Qui scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to lead Mount St. Mary's to a 67-57 win at Central Connecticut on Thursday night.  The Mount closed the game with a 26-to-12 run to improve to 5-5 overall and 4-2 in the Northeast Conference.

Chong Qui, the reigning NEC Co-Player of the Week, was 4-of-9 from the field and 11-of-12 from the foul line en route to his first 20-point game this season.  The 5-8 junior guard added four assists in the victory, and he now has four career 20-point efforts.  Freshman Josh Reaves, named the NEC's Rookie of the Week on Monday, notched his third consecutive double-figure scoring game with 13.

Malik Jefferson just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds while Mezie Offurum added 10 points, four rebounds and a career-high six steals.  The six steals are the most by a Mountaineer since Junior Robinson had six against Robert Morris on January 22, 2015.  Nana Opoku turned in a solid defensive effort, finishing with nine rebounds and three blocks while Dakota Leffew hit both of his three-point attempts for six points in the game.

The Mount, the top defensive team in the NEC, held CCSU (2-9, 2-6 NEC) to 37.3 percent (22-of-59) shooting in the game, including 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from three-point range.  Mount St. Mary's shot a season-best 51.1 percent (23-of-45) from the field while connecting on 9-of-19 (.474) from three-point range.  Myles Baker and Ian Krishnan each scored 12 points for CCSU in the loss.

Turnovers plagued the Mount in the first half as CCSU held a 33-to-28 advantage at the break.  The Mount had 14 miscues in the opening half, leading to 18 CCSU points.  The Mount committed just three turnovers in the second stanza.

The Blue Devils took their biggest lead of the game, 36-28, after a Nigel Scantlebury three-point play three minutes into the second half.  The Mount rallied to take a 39-38 lead on an Offurum three-pointer, and a Jefferson bucket put the Mount ahead 41-40.  CCSU's Baker countered with the next five points for a 45-41 advantage with 9:27 remaining.

Chong Qui then took over, scoring 10 points during a 17-to-4 Mountaineer scoring run for a 58-49 lead with four minutes left in the half.  His drive to the basket with 6:56 left gave the Mount the lead for good, 49-47.  After a pair of Chong Qui free throws, Offurum scored off a CCSU turnover, and Leffew drained a three-pointer to make it 56-49.  Chong Qui capped the run with two more free throws.

The Blue Devils made one more run, cutting the Mount's advantage to 60-57 on a Baker three-pointer with 2:37 remaining.  Chong Qui converted a drive to the basket on the next possession, and then hit 5-of-6 at the foul line to seal the victory.

The Mount and Central Connecticut return to action tomorrow with a 4:00 p.m. matchup at CCSU's Detrick Gymnasium.