New Britain, Conn. (January 22, 2021)—Mount St. Mary's dropped a heartbreaker on Friday afternoon as Central Connecticut's Nigel Scantlebury hit a three-pointer with four seconds left to lift CCSU to a 65-64 win.  Mount St. Mary's junior guard Damian Chong Qui was valiant in defeat for the Mount, pouring in a career-high 30 points in the game.  The loss snapped the Mount's three-game win streak.

The Mount (5-6, 4-3 NEC) clawed back from a nine-point deficit midway through the second half to take the lead.  Trailing 51-42 after a pair of Greg Outlaw free throws, the Mount rattled off the next 10 points to take a 52-51 advantage.  Chong Qui assisted on a Josh Reaves three-pointer to start the run, and he then scored the next seven points of the game to give the Mount the lead.

The teams exchanged baskets with the Mount grabbing the advantage, 56-55, on a Jalen Jefferson bucket on a nifty feed from Chong Qui with 3:41 remaining.  Chong Qui then added a pair of free throws and a three-pointer to push the Mount's lead to 61-55 with 2:31 on the clock.

The Blue Devils (3-9, 3-6 NEC) responded with a 7-0 run to regain the lead in the final minute on a Scantlebury jumper.  Chong Qui responded on the other end, draining a three-pointer with 26 seconds left to put the Mount back on top, 64-62.  On the ensuing possession, CCSU's Ian Krishnan missed a mid-range jumper with 10 seconds left, but Karrington Wallace pulled down the offensive rebound.  The Blue Devils worked the ball to Scantlebury on the left wing, and he converted a step-back three-pointer with four seconds on the clock for the winning basket.  The Mount was unable to get a shot off before the final buzzer.

Chong Qui was sensational for the Mount in the loss, hitting 10-of-19 from the field, 3-of-6 from three-point range, and 7-of-8 at the foul line for his career-high 30 points.  His 30-point effort was the first by a Mountaineer since Jalen Gibbs had 30 in a win over Wilson on Dec. 15, 2018.  Malik Jefferson added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Mountaineers for his second double-double this season and eighth of his career.  Nana Opoku was also big on the boards for the Mount with a season-high 12 rebounds.

Krishnan led CCSU with 13 points while Outlaw chipped in 12 in the victory.  Scantlebury finished the game with seven points and four assists.  The Mount was 24-of-55 (.436) from the field and 7-of-21 (.333) from three-point range in the game, but struggled at the foul line, hitting 9-of-16 (.563).  CCSU shot 24-of-54 (.444) from the field and 8-of-22 (.364) from beyond the arc in the contest.  The Mount held a 38-to-33 advantage on the boards.
The teams played a nip-and-tuck first half that featured 17 lead changes and five ties.  The Mount headed to the locker room with a 31-29 lead.

Up next is a busy week for the Mountaineers as they host a pair of two-game NEC series.  The Mount will host Wagner on January 26-27 and Sacred Heart on January 30-31.  Tip-off against Wagner on January 26 with be 7:00 p.m.