Emmitsburg, Md. (Nov. 11, 2021)—Playing in front of fans at Knott Arena for the first time in 20 months, Mount St. Mary's gave the home fans a show in a 117-62 victory over Washington (Md.) on Thursday night.
Jalen Benjamin led five Mount players in double figures with a game-high 20 points.
The Mount (1-1) set a slew of scoring records in the game beginning with the most points in a game since moving to NCAA Division I in 1988-89, besting the previous mark of 113 set in a 22-point win over Marist on February 24, 1991. The Mount led 61-40 at the half, the most points in an opening half for a Mount team at the Division I level as well. The 117 points scored are the ninth-most in a game in school history, and also set a team record for most points scored in a game at Knott Arena.
The last time the Mount topped 100 points at Knott Arena was a 103-86 win over LIU on January 14, 1995 while the 117 points scored are the most by a Mountaineer team since a 119-82 win over Catholic on January 23, 1984, in a game played at Memorial Gym.
The Mountaineers used a 7-0 run early in the game to take the lead for good, 11-4. A Benjamin three-pointer with 12:45 left in the opening half gave the Mount its first double-digit lead of the game, 24-12. The Mount led by double figures the rest of the way, stretching the advantage to 40-22 after another Benjamin triple with 7:57 left in the opening half. The Shoremen fought back, using a 10-to-3 run to cut the deficit to 11, but Mount's
Josh Reaves capped a half-closing 9-2 run with a three-pointer to take a 61-40 lead at the break.
The Mountaineers shot a torrid 69.4 percent (25-of-36) from the field in the half, including 6-of-12 (.500) from downtown. The Mount did have several defensive lapses in the opening half as Washington College made 18-of-27 (.667) from the field while scoring 40 points.
It did not take long for the Mount to establish control in the second half, using a 16-to-2 run in the opening six minutes to take a 77-42 advantage. The Mount's cruised from there, stretching the advantage to 60 points on an
Elijah Elliott lay-up that made the score 114-54 with 2:04 left in the game.
Benjamin finished the game with 20 points and seven assists, hitting 6-of-9 from three-point range in the contest.
Malik Jefferson added 16 points on 8-of-8 shooting in the game, and the 6-9 senior forward has made 14-of-15 (.933) shots from the field this year.
Nana Opoku chipped in 14 points and six rebunds while freshman
Jaylin Gibson posted 14 points and six boards off the bench in his first appearance at Knott Arena. Reaves was the fifth Mountaineer in double figures with 12 points.
In addition to Gibson, freshman
Jedy Cordilia and Bankeys Omara also recorded their first collegiate points in the game. Cordilia had five points and six rebounds in 15 minutes while Omari hit 1-of-2 at the foul line in his collegiate debut.
The Mountaineers finished the game 46-of-73 (.630) from the field in the game, including 11-of-25 (.440) from three-point range. The Mount held Washington College to 20.0 percent shooting in the second half (7-of-35), and ended up holding the Shoremen to 40.3 percent shooting overall.
Prior to the game, the Mount unveiled its 2021 Northeast Conference Championship banner, celebrating the team's NEC title run from last year. The Mountaineers also took a moment of silence prior to the game to honor legendary head coach Jim Phelan, who passed away this past June. Phelan guided the Mount's men's basketball program for 49 seasons, collecting 830 wins in the process.
Mount St. Mary's returns to action on Saturday, January 13, with a 1:00 p.m. road matchup at Saint Joseph's.
